Karen Read Defense Faces 'high-wire' Act As Retrial's Opening Statements Kick Off, Experts Say

Karen Read's retrial successful nan decease of her Boston constabulary serviceman boyfriend, John O'Keefe, kicks disconnected Tuesday pinch opening statements, months aft jurors deadlocked connected nan lawsuit and prosecutors had to commencement over. But experts expect a reliable conflict for nan erstwhile financial analyst.

Read, 45, is charged pinch murder, manslaughter and fleeing nan segment for allegedly striking O'Keefe pinch her Lexus SUV during a snowstorm connected Jan. 29, 2022. He was recovered connected chap serviceman Brian Albert's beforehand section hours later pinch signs of hypothermia and traumatic injuries to his head.

Read has pleaded not guilty, denied sidesplitting O'Keefe and alleged she is being framed, attempting to sow reasonable uncertainty successful prosecutors' claims and asserting that personification other killed O'Keefe and had ties to and power complete nan investigation.

Albert hosted an after-party that evening, inviting a group of friends and acquaintances to driblet by aft nan section bars closed astatine midnight. Attendees testified that O'Keefe ne'er came inside. 

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Karen Read's booking photo (Massachusetts State Police)

Special charismatic Hank Brennan and lead defense lawyer Alan Jackson are slated to statesman opening statements Tuesday. Experts opportunity observers should expect fireworks.

For nan retrial, Judge Beverly Cannone has placed limits connected really nan defense tin raise its mentation that an alternate perpetrator is responsible for O'Keefe's death. 

"Like a high-wire specialist, Alan is going to creation nan line," said Linda Kenney Baden, a high-profile defense lawyer who has been pursuing nan case. "Sometimes erstwhile you do that, you autumn disconnected or, successful this case, Brennan is going to effort to push him disconnected objecting."

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John O'Keefe (Courtesy of Karen Read)

She said limiting what nan defense tin opportunity successful their opening astir a imaginable third-party culprit is simply a terrible hurdle for Read's team.

"Judge Cannone is going to trim nan defense disconnected astatine its kneecaps," she said. She noted that David Yannetti, different 1 of Read's lawyers, opened nan first proceedings by claiming she had been framed.

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"She did not origin his death, and that intends that personification other did," Yannetti told nan tribunal successful April 2024.

He pointed to nan arguable lead investigator, Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, who was fired past period arsenic a consequence of an soul investigation into his conduct.

Karen Read is shown pinch her attorneys, David Yannetti, left, and Alan Jackson during assemblage action astatine Norfolk Superior Court successful Dedham, Mass., connected April 15, 2025. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald via AP/Pool)

Now that Proctor is nary longer a personnel of law enforcement, nan prosecution really whitethorn person an easier clip overcoming his sultry matter messages successful nan eyes of nan jury, according to Neama Rahmani, a erstwhile national prosecutor.

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"Now that Proctor’s been fired, nan prosecution tin ain these bad facts and get up of them," he said Monday. "By ‘fronting’ nan unprofessional and embarrassing grounds impeaching Proctor for nan jury, and showing Proctor has been terminated for his misconduct, nan commonwealth will person a amended chance of securing a condemnation this time."

Retrials thin to spell amended for prosecutors, who cognize what to expect from witnesses for nan defense, said Andrew Stoltmann, a Chicago-based lawyer and adjunct professor astatine Northwestern University's School of Law.

Special Assistant District Attorney Hank Brennan introduces himself during assemblage action successful nan execution proceedings of Karen Read astatine Norfolk Superior Court successful Dedham, Mass., connected April 15, 2025. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald via AP/Pool)

"I deliberation she faces a awesome uphill climb," he told Fox News Digital. "They person galore witnesses locked into their story. As for a prediction, I opportunity nan prosecutors are going to triumph this lawsuit arsenic they are going to beryllium loaded for carnivore pinch respect to her master witnesses."

Defense experts were cardinal to Read's strategy successful nan first trial, erstwhile they testified that O'Keefe's injuries were inconsistent pinch being struck by an SUV.

Another attendee of nan after-party was Brian Higgins, an ATF agent. Higgins and Read exchanged romantic matter messages, and he testified that she erstwhile kissed him extracurricular O'Keefe's house.

ATF Agent Brian Higgins speaks during nan Karen Read execution proceedings astatine Norfolk Superior Court successful Dedham, Mass., connected May 28, 2024. (Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald via AP/Pool)

Speaking extracurricular nan courthouse past week, Read near unfastened nan anticipation of taking nan guidelines successful her ain defense, thing she opted not to do past year. Since then, she's fixed aggregate media interviews, appearing connected TV and successful people to stock her broadside of nan story.

Brennan, a specially appointed adjunct territory lawyer brought successful to spearhead nan 2nd trial, asked nan tribunal to name a third-party scholar to publication matter messages betwixt nan suspect and nan unfortunate to nan assemblage successful court. Her defense opposed nan move successful penning Friday, arguing that an appointed scholar could perchance drum up unfair prejudice pinch an over-dramatic inflection.

During nan first trial, Massachusetts State Trooper Nick Guarino publication nan texts. The defense based on that was modular procedure.

Read nan defense opposition to ‘independent readers’:

In nan months since her first proceedings ended successful a mistrial, nan erstwhile lead interrogator saw himself fired by nan Massachusetts State Police complete his handling of nan investigation, which included sharing confidential materials successful matter messages that included lewd and unprofessional remarks astir Read.

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He joked that he'd searched her confiscated telephone for nude photos, called her a "c---" and said he wished she'd termination herself.

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Judge Beverly J. Cannone addresses imaginable jurors arsenic assemblage action continues for nan execution retrial of Karen Read successful Norfolk Superior Court, April 14, 2025, successful Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/Boston Globe via AP/Pool)

The defense besides raised evidence-collection and chain-of-custody concerns surrounding Read's vehicle, fragments of nan taillight authorities said they recovered astatine nan segment and different cardinal items.

Close to nan clip of his death, she allegedly near him a voicemail saying, "I dislike you." The 2 had besides based on nan greeting earlier his death, but they went retired drinking that night. 

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A cardinal portion of nan retrial is expected to see master grounds astir injuries recovered connected O'Keefe's correct arm, which nan defense argues were caused by a canine and is imaginable grounds that he wasn't killed by a vehicular onslaught but alternatively successful a fight.

The defense will telephone Garrett Wing, a canine trainer, and nan prosecution will person grounds from Dr. James Crosby.

The trial is expected to past six to 8 weeks aft taking much than 2 weeks to spot a jury.

Read could look a maximum of life successful situation if convicted.