DEDHAM, Mass. — When Karen Read’s defense team and prosecutors for the Commonwealth select jurors for her second murder trial this week, the potential jury members will be asked a wide range of questions, including how inclined they are to believe law enforcement figures.
The filing in Norfolk Superior Court Monday shows that potential jurors will be asked over 30 questions about the case. Potential jurors will be asked if they have any knowledge of the case, if Read should have to prove her innocence and if they are likely to believe a police officer over a citizen in the case of conflicting testimony.
Read’s second murder trial begins with jury selection on Tuesday.
Read, 45, is accused of hitting John O’Keefe, her Boston police officer, with her Lexus SUV in Canton on Jan. 29, 2022, and leaving him to die after a night of drinking. The defense has sought to portray Read as the victim, saying O’Keefe was actually killed inside the Albert family home at 34 Fairview Road in Canton and then dragged outside and left for dead.
She has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death.
Cannone also released a list of 150 other witnesses that the prosecution and defense could call during the retrial.
After several failed attempts to get the case thrown out, Read’s retrial will kick off at 9 a.m. when the first batch of prospective jurors will be brought into Dedham’s Norfolk Superior Court for questioning.
Read’s first trial ended with a hung jury in July 2024.
Since the end of the first trial, Michael Proctor, who served as the lead investigator in the Read case, was fired from his role within the Massachusetts State Police in mid-March.
Cannone recently extended the buffer zone in the area of Bates Court, Bullard Street, Ames Street, and Court Street to keep demonstrators a distance from the Dedham courthouse.
Read supporters hosted standouts across the country on Sunday to bring attention to her case.
The full list of questions can be viewed below:
Read Jury Questionnaire by Boston 25 Desk on Scribd
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