Karen Read's 2nd trial should be delayed, prosecution and defense tell court
DEDHAM - The prosecution and defense in the Karen Read case revealed Monday that they want her second criminal trial delayed by more than two months.
Judge Beverly Cannone had set a new trial date for Jan. 27, 2025 after Read's first trial ended in a mistrial. But in a joint motion filed with the court, special prosecutor Hank Brennan and Read's legal team asked for the retrial to be delayed until April 1, 2025.
"The joint request will allow both the Commonwealth and defense adequate time to prepare for the trial, accommodate the schedule of new witnesses, including expert witnesses, will allow for the testing and disclosures by the experts timely before trial, and will result in a far more efficient and streamlined presentation of evidence by both parties," the motion says.
The prosecution said it has new experts for the second trial, including a biomechanical engineer who did not testify the first time around.
Karen Read's civil trial was recently delayed
Last week, the judge overseeing the wrongful death lawsuit against Read filed by John O'Keefe's family said she will not have to be deposed in the civil case until her second criminal case is resolved.
In the criminal case, Read is accused of hitting her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in Canton and leaving him to die in the snow after a night of heavy drinking in January of 2022. The O'Keefe family is suing Read for monetary damages in the civil lawsuit.
Who is Karen Read?
Read, a 44-year-old financial analyst from Mansfield, is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death. She has said she is the victim of a cover-up by law enforcement and several others while pleading not guilty to all charges.
Read is also appealing to the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts in an effort to get two of the three charges against her dismissed. Her lawyers say jurors reached out after the mistrial declaration to say they unanimously agreed to acquit her on the charges of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of personal injury and death.
Read's hearing before the high court is scheduled for Wednesday.
