Following a flurry of motions by both the defense and the Commonwealth, Judge Beverly Cannone imposed a gag order on all attorneys in the Karen Read murder trial on Friday.
In her ruling, Cannone says statements made outside of court could taint the jury pool ahead of Read’s retrial in April.
Cannone references comments defense attorney Alan Jackson made to Boston 25 News and other media outlets in her decision.
Cannone says she will not impose sanctions on the defense for previous statements to the media.
Breaking: Judge Beverly Cannone has imposed a gag-order on Karen Read's lawyers but denies Brennan's motion to sanction the defense.
— Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) March 7, 2025
Here's the order: pic.twitter.com/YVbMB4nu1P
The announcement comes as Read’s lawyers filed new exhibits to get her case dismissed for “extraordinary governmental misconduct.”
The defense also requested to add controversial blogger Aidan Kearney’s attorney to the team, but Cannone quickly denied that request.
Read is accused of hitting John O’Keefe, her boyfriend at the time, with her Lexus SUV 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 and then dragged outside and left for dead.
Judge Beverly Cannone will rule on the motion to dismiss ahead of Read’s trial scheduled in April. Jury selection for the trial is expected to begin on April 1.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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