Karen Read, a former financial adviser, has had a full panel of jurors and alternates chosen for her second murder trial. She stands accused of fatally hitting her boyfriend, Boston cop John O’Keefe, in a drunken hit-and-run following an argument amid a snowstorm in January 2022.
After the selection of all 12 jurors and six alternates on Tuesday, preparations for opening statements began. By the end of Friday, 16 out of 18 spots had been filled, leaving just two more to be decided.
Read, aged 45, faces charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter, and fleeing the scene of a fatal accident. Speaking outside the courthouse, Read expressed readiness to commence proceedings and openly challenged special prosecutor Hank Brennan.
“Come at me,” she said, when asked how she felt about his plan to introduce some of her own televised interviews as evidence.
He is expected to return to the witness stand for the second trial.
Read could face up to life in prison if convicted of the top charge. The trial is expected to take six to eight weeks.
