Karen Read Retrial Kicks Off With Wire-to-wire Drama, Lawyers Brawl In Tense Hearing After Jurors Sent Home

Karen Read's retrial successful nan decease of her Boston constabulary serviceman fellow John O'Keefe kicked disconnected Tuesday pinch expected fireworks almost instantly – and they continued aft Judge Beverly Cannone sent jurors location for nan time pinch a heated proceeding connected precocious find disclosures.

Both sides painted entirely different versions of events arsenic they delivered their opening statements to nan jury, but aft nan sheet near for nan day, Cannone called for a caller proceeding Friday and accused nan defense of violating 1 of her orders connected reciprocal discovery.

Defense lawyer Alan Jackson opened pinch a situation to nan bosom of nan prosecution's case: that O'Keefe died from injuries sustained erstwhile Read's Lexus SUV allegedly struck him during a nor'easter.

"The grounds successful this lawsuit will establish, supra everything else, 3 points," he said. "There was nary collision pinch John O'Keefe. There was nary collision. There was nary collision."

KAREN READ DEFENSE FACES 'HIGH-WIRE' ACT AS RETRIAL'S OPENING STATEMENTS KICK OFF, EXPERTS SAY

Attorney Alan Jackson gives his opening connection astatine Karen Read's 2nd execution proceedings astatine Norfolk Superior Court connected Tuesday, April 22, 2025 successful Dedham, Mass.  (Stuart Cahill /The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)

Special charismatic Hank Brennan told a different communicative successful his ain opening statement, minutes earlier, saying to jurors that Read, allegedly drunk and angry, intentionally deed nan state and rammed O'Keefe pinch nan backmost bumper, past near him connected nan ground, wherever he was later recovered pinch terrible caput injuries and hypothermia.

Both cases whitethorn hinge connected whether a brace of defense experts are allowed to attest astir their conclusions.

UNFAZED KAREN READ STARES DOWN LINGERING QUESTIONS ABOUT 'DOG BITES,' TEXTS WITH RETRIAL READY FOR KICKOFF

After jurors left, nan sides based on successful a heated mobility proceeding astir whether master grounds from nan ARCCA crash-reconstruction patient should beryllium allowed. 

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

Two experts from nan patient testified during nan first trial, disputing nan prosecution's type of events.

Brennan told nan judge that prosecutors person go alert of further conclusions from nan experts – caller accusation that his squad would not person clip to adequately hole for because disclosures person not been made.

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Defense lawyer Robert Alessi said it was Brennan's squad that caused delays successful find by revising its ain master disclosures successful March, pinch conscionable weeks to spell earlier Read's retrial kicked disconnected pinch assemblage action connected April 1.

John O'Keefe pictured successful an undated photo. O'Keefe died connected Jan. 29, 2022. His girlfriend, Karen Read, was charged pinch hitting him pinch her Lexus SUV and fleeing nan scene.  (Courtesy of Karen Read)

"At a anterior hearing, I recovered a usurpation of nan defense's reciprocal find obligations," Cannone said. "It was clear to me, and I recovered that it was deliberate. This appears to maine contrary to what you've argued, Mr. Alessi, that this is different usurpation of my bid and of nan reciprocal find violations. We request to fig each of this retired earlier you're allowed to telephone these witnesses."

To execute that, she ordered a voir dire proceeding pinch nan ARCCA experts Friday morning. Jurors will not beryllium coming each day.

Grace Edwards, an Essex County proceedings lawyer who has been pursuing nan case, said nan end-of-day proceeding near her floored.

"They still don't person nan sallyport video," she said, referring to Read's defense and constabulary surveillance footage from nan time her SUV was first impounded. "They played hide nan video. This feels harsh."

Special charismatic Hank Brennan gives his opening statement pinch his compartment telephone astatine Karen Read's 2nd execution proceedings astatine Norfolk Superior Court connected Tuesday, April 22, 2025 successful Dedham, Mass.  (Stuart Cahill /The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)

Brennan had antecedently asked Cannone to exclude nan ARCCA team, and Edwards predicted that immoderate caller grounds ARCCA is expected to bring could beryllium problematic for the commonwealth.

"She hardly allowed this to statesman with. She can’t beryllium happy astir this," said Paul Mauro, a erstwhile NYPD inspector who has been pursuing nan case. "Very bad news for nan defense."

KAREN READ DEFENSE FACES 'HIGH-WIRE' ACT AS RETRIAL'S OPENING STATEMENTS KICK OFF, EXPERTS SAY

Read appeared to disagree, smiling erstwhile she met reporters extracurricular connected courthouse steps.

"I consciousness great," she said. "Today went well. We prepped hard, and I'm conscionable proud of my team."

Karen Read returns to tribunal pursuing nan luncheon break pinch her defense lawyer Robert Alessi astatine her proceedings astatine Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, April 22, 2025, successful Dedham, Mass.  (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

When asked why Jackson didn't commencement his opening connection for illustration chap defense counsel David Yannetti did past year, telling jurors she had been "framed," she replied, "We don't for illustration reruns."

First to return nan guidelines was Commonwealth's witnesser Timothy Nuttall, a paramedic who checked O'Keefe erstwhile an ambulance arrived astatine nan segment astir 6 a.m connected Jan. 29, 2022. 

He testified that while first responders were attempting to springiness O'Keefe CPR, Read said, "I deed him. I deed him. I deed him."

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But connected cross-examination, Jackson was speedy to telephone Nuttall's representation into question, noting that during Read's first proceedings past year, he testified that Read said nan building only twice. 

He besides confronted Nuttall pinch his ain grounds astir what O'Keefe was wearing – which turned retired to beryllium incorrect erstwhile he testified astir it past year. Then he replayed dashcam video of paramedics connected nan scene, asking him to locomotion done it and pointing retired wherever his grounds did not statement up pinch what was connected nan screen.

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Nuttall appeared uncomfortable astatine times, arsenic Jackson questioned his memory, his anterior testimony, and his timeline of events repeatedly. But he insisted that he heard Read opportunity "I deed him," repeatedly.

Canton Fire Department paramedic Timothy Nuttall shows really to do a Carotid Pulse astatine Karen Read's 2nd execution proceedings astatine Norfolk Superior Court connected Tuesday, April 22, 2025 successful Dedham, Mass.  (Stuart Cahill/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)

The 2nd witnesser was Kerry Roberts, a friend of O'Keefe's whose boy was nan aforesaid property arsenic his adopted nephew. Although she grew up pinch nan victim, she said they became person aft he adopted his sister's orphaned children pursuing a family tragedy.

Roberts was 1 of nan group Read called connected nan greeting of O'Keefe's death.

She said she was driving Read and Jennifer McCabe arsenic they looked for him that morning. After first searching his location and coming up empty, they went to nan Albert location – wherever McCabe and different friends and acquaintances had gone for an after-party nan nighttime before.

KAREN READ AND JOHN O'KEEFE: INSIDE EVOLUTION OF BOSTON MURDER MYSTERY SINCE JULY MISTRIAL

Karen Read pictured successful a booking photograph aft her apprehension successful relationship pinch her Boston constabulary serviceman boyfriend, John O'Keefe, successful 2022. (Massachusetts State Police)

"As we approached nan house, Karen from nan backmost spot is now screaming, ‘There he is! There he is! Let maine nan F retired of this car,’ kicking nan backmost doorway to get out," Roberts testified.

Visibility was poor, she said, and she couldn't spot O'Keefe until Read went up to a body-sized "mound" connected nan beforehand lawn.

Judge Cannone sent jurors location for nan time aft that testimony. Roberts is expected to return to nan guidelines Wednesday morning.

Authorities discovered John O'Keefe extracurricular a Canton, Massachusetts, location connected nan greeting connected Jan. 29, 2021.  (Boston Police Department)

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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 of nan apical charge, second-degree murder.