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Watch live: Karen Read in court for final pre-retrial hearing ahead of start of jury selection

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DEDHAM, Mass. — Karen Read is due back in court Friday morning for one final pre-retrial hearing before her second murder trial starts next week.

Read, 45, of Mansfield, 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.

Friday’s hearing comes after a U.S. Court of Appeals judge denied Read’s appeal to dismiss charges of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash.

Read’s lawyers wanted to delay the start of her retrial, arguing that it would help them show that jurors unanimously found Read not guilty of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a crash. They have also argued that Read’s double jeopardy interests haven’t been taken into consideration.

Read can now appeal to the Supreme Court, however, Norfolk Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone denied another motion earlier this week to dismiss the case entirely on the basis of “extraordinary government misconduct.”

Cannone has yet to rule on recent requests from the prosecution that seeks access to records related to Investigation Discovery’s documentary series “A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read,” which debuted last week on HBO.

Prosecutors also want to introduce evidence from two cellphones belonging to Aidan Kearney, the Worcester-based blogger known as Turtleboy, claiming texts between him and Read will show Read’s “consciousness of guilt.”

Cannone is also expected to issue a ruling on whether third-party culprit evidence should be allowed during the second trial after Read’s lawyers claimed Brian Albert, Brian Higgins, and Colin Albert each had the “motive, intent, and opportunity to commit the crime” that resulted in O’Keefe’s death.

Read’s lawyers have also asked the court to grant her audio access to sidebar bench conferences “throughout all critical stages of the proceedings,” including individual juror voir dire, to protect her “right to a trial by an impartial jury.”

Jury selection in Read’s second trial is slated to begin on Tuesday, April 1.

Read’s first trial ended with a hung jury in July 2024.

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