What to Know
- Karen Read is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a vehicle under the influence and leaving the scene
- She is accused of striking John O'Keefe, her Boston police officer boyfriend, with her SUV in 2022 and leaving him to die alone in the snow outside of a house party in Canton, Massachusetts
- Her defense team has said she is the victim of a vast police conspiracy and that O'Keefe was fatally beaten by another law enforcement officer at the party
- A mistrial was declared last year after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict
The Karen Read trial continued on Wednesday, the 20th day of testimony in the controversial murder case, and it began with a bang.
Judge Beverly Cannone said she's become aware of an "issue" that will require her to speak with each juror one-on-one. She cleared the courtroom, and there was no immediate word on what that was about.
Testimony resumed, with Dr. Aizik Wolf, a neurosurgeon, first on the stand.
Next Christina Hanley, a forensic expert with the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab, resumed her testimony from Tuesday.
Wednesday was the last full day of testimony in the trial this week. Cannone decided to give jurors Thursday off, saying they were ahead of schedule. Court will not be in session Friday ahead of the holiday weekend. The defense team has said it expects the prosecution to rest its case by next week.
Read is accused of hitting John O'Keefe, her Boston police officer boyfriend, with her SUV in 2022 and leaving him to die alone in the snow outside of a house party at 34 Fairview Road in Canton. Her defense team has said she was a victim of a vast police conspiracy and that O'Keefe was fatally beaten by another law enforcement officer at the party.
A mistrial was declared last year after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
Here's a recap of the day in court.
