Karen Read Update: Evidence in the case may be used in another trial

What’s new

A judge decided to seal some of the evidence ahead of Karen Read’s upcoming retrial because it could overlap with another pending criminal case.

In a document added to Read’s filing Wednesday, Judge Beverly Cannone agreed to grant a request from the prosecution to seal communications shared with the defense.

Why it matters

Read is accused of fatally striking her boyfriend, John O’Keefe, who worked as a Boston police officer for 16 years, with her car in 2022, resulting in a fatal collision.

Read’s first trial began on April 16. On July 1, the judge declared the trial invalid after the jury declared itself deadlocked on the fifth day of deliberations.

What you should know

Prosecutors said some of the discovery materials used in Read’s case “could be evidence in an unrelated pending criminal case.” They asked the court to approve the request to protect “the well-founded privacy and security interests of witnesses and the victim’s family.”

The request was made with the consent of the defense.

Cannone granted the prosecutor’s request on November 25.

The filing did not provide further details about which communications will be sealed or which pending criminal case the evidence may overlap with.

O’Keefe was found dead outside the home of another Boston police officer in Canton on January 29, 2022. Read dropped him off at a party at the residence the night before. Three days later she was arrested and charged.

Her retrial was originally scheduled to begin in January next year but was postponed after Cannone granted a joint request from the prosecution and defense.

What people say

Special prosecutor Hank Brennan calls for a delay in the trial: “Although it will delay the case if you grant this motion, I think it will result in a shorter, more effective and efficient process and, more importantly, I think it will be fairer for the parties involved.”

What happens next

Read’s retrial is scheduled to begin in April 2025. Cannone asked the prosecution and defense to prepare a schedule for her.

Cannone also hears arguments about whether a dog bite expert should be allowed to testify in Read’s trial. The defense argued that O’Keefe may have been attacked by a German Shepherd belonging to the Albert family. O’Keefe was found dead outside her home. The questioning of Dr. Marie Russell began on December 12th and continues on January 7th.

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