Karen Read case: judge postpones retrial

Karen Read’s second murder trial has been postponed after Judge Beverly Cannone granted a joint request from prosecutors and defense attorneys to delay the highly anticipated retrial.

Lawyers had asked to push back the start date from Jan. 27 to April 1, with special prosecutor Hank Brennan arguing that would allow for a quicker trial.

“While it will delay the case if you grant this motion, I believe it will allow for a shorter, more effective and more efficient trial, and I believe it will be, most importantly, fairer to the parties involved,” said Brennan to Cannone during a hearing. hearing last month. He also said the delay would allow him to “significantly” reduce the list of prosecution witnesses.

In Monday’s ruling, Cannone asked the prosecution and defense to propose a scheduling order to be considered when Read returns to court on Thursday.

Read, 44, is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, after a night out at Canton bars on Jan. 29, 2022. Prosecutors allege Read was driving drunk and deliberately rear-ended his SUV into O’Keefe. dropping him off at a house party. He was found unconscious in the snow a few hours later.

Read’s lawyers argue that she was a “convenient stranger” accused of being covered up by law enforcement, instead suggesting that O’Keefe was severely beaten and possibly attacked by the owner’s dog after entered the party.

Her first trial ended July 1 without a jury, and she appealed to the Supreme Judicial Court in an effort to drop two of her charges before next year’s retrial.

Abby Patkin is a general assignment reporter whose work covers transit, crime, healthcare and everything in between.