Karen Read trial begins with jury selection

Grim faces reflecting varying states of caffeination, potential jurors in Karen Read’s murder trial were filed Tuesday morning in Norfolk Superior Court with a monumental task ahead of them. In a few weeks, the question of Read’s guilt or innocence will be in the hands of some of them.

Tuesday’s court proceedings were largely devoted to the painstaking process of narrowing the pool of potential jurors and assembling an impartial jury. Given the media frenzy and conflicting theories surrounding Read’s high-profile case, that’s a feat easier said than done.

Only four jurors were seated following a marathon hearing Tuesday, meaning the jury selection process continues for at least a second day.

Read, 44, is accused of crashing her SUV into her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, while dropping him off at a Canton home on Jan. 29, 2022. While prosecutors allege Read left O’Keefe to die in the snow outside another Boston officer’s home, the Mansfield woman’s lawyers say she is the victim of a widespread cover-up among law enforcement and witnesses.

Prosecutors previously asked Judge Beverly Cannone to block Read’s lawyers from claiming others were responsible for O’Keefe’s death. Although she said she would be “well within” her rights, the judge instead offered the defense a chance to develop its argument using “relevant, competent and admissible evidence.” However, she prohibited them from using the guilty third party defense during opening statements.

In his own opening remarks, Cannone highlighted the important role of the jury in a case that has rocked Norfolk County.

“The people outside this building have rights, and we know they have a voice, but this criminal trial will be decided by an independent jury, free from outside interference, based solely on the evidence presented in this courtroom and the law,” Cannone said. .

She added: “While public comment will likely continue, the rule of law will be respected. »

When Cannone asked if any potential jurors had ever seen, heard of or talked about Read’s case, a majority raised their hands. Several hands also went up when Cannone asked potential jurors if they had already formed an opinion on the matter.

Outside the courthouse, Read’s supporters held handmade signs and wore pink in solidarity, chafing at the 200-foot buffer zone set by Cannone for the duration of the trial. Read and his lawyers were treated like celebrities upon their arrival, entering the courthouse to raucous cheers.

As Tuesday’s court proceedings drew to a close, Read’s supporters also lined up at the back of the courtroom. Among them was Turtleboy blogger Aidan Kearney, who adopted the defense team’s claims to become the unofficial face of the “Free Karen Read” movement. Kearney also faces several witness intimidation charges stemming from his alleged harassment of witnesses in the Read case.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys submitted lengthy lists of potential witnesses Tuesday, and Cannone warned potential jurors that Read’s trial could ultimately last as long as six to eight weeks once the jury is impaneled.

“It’s just a best estimate,” she said. “I would rather give you more time and have the trial shorter than the other way around.”