Prosecutors, defense move to delay March murder trial for Karen Read

DEDHAM, Mass. — The trial of a Massachusetts woman charged in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend may begin later than scheduled.

That is according to a new filing obtained by 25 Investigates.

Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey and lawyers for Karen Read filed a joint motion Friday in Norfolk County Superior Court asking to push back her March trial date.

Prosecutors and defense want the court to change the March 12 trial date to a hearing date instead – “in the interests of justice,” according to the filing.

Prosecutors have charged Read with second degree murder of her Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe in Canton.

Her lawyers claim a wide-ranging conspiracy of local and state law enforcement officials has framed Read – but prosecutors deny that and say there’s no evidence of such a scheme.

Both sides say they are still waiting to hear what federal authorities have uncovered in their probe of the case.

The filing says on Jan. 17, 2024, the parties spoke in a conference call with a representative of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts – which said it would be “producing information for both parties” without giving a timeline.

The motion says counsel believes that information would arrive in early February – but says the U.S. Attorney’s Office has provided no information as of Friday.

On Feb. 7, the parties said they received an email from the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s affirmative civil enforcement division requiring a conference call.

“The parties anticipate that the information to be produced will impact the arguments to be made in favor of and/or in opposition to the defendant’s motions,” reads the filing.

The motion says even if they receive the information before a scheduled Feb. 15 pre-trial hearing, they will need time for further investigation.

The motion also lists several items of evidence that still have not been produced – including records from Google, Verizon, witnesses and the state police crime laboratory.

“These ordered records may also impact the arguments of counsel regarding the defendant’s pending motions,” reads the filing. “They will also likely impact the parties’ trial preparation, potentially causing the parties to conduct further investigation prior to announcing ready for trial.”

The court ordered the state police crime laboratory to transmit evidence to a Virginia laboratory for “potentially exhaustive testing” on Nov. 14.

“To date, no test results or reports on testing have been received by the parties,” reads the filing.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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