Karen Read jury selection fails to find more jurors for second straight day
Monday marked the start of the second week of jury selection in Karen Read's second trial. Ten jurors were added during the first four days of the process last week inside a Dedham, Massachusetts courtroom, but for a second straight day the number of jurors did not increase and remained at 10.
Read is accused of hitting and killing Boston police officer John O'Keefe, who she was dating, with her SUV and leaving him to die in the snow outside a home in Canton in January 2022. Read's defense says she is being framed by several people, including law enforcement.
Read has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death.
So far, five men and five women have been seated on the jury. One person met with the judge and attorneys on Monday who could potentially be added after further review.
Karen Read trial jury selection
Jury selection is taking place inside Norfolk Superior Court. At least six more jurors need to be seated for the trial to begin, though a final number has not been determined.
Each day of jury selection starts with group questioning, which over the first four days has regularly shown the challenge the case presents. The majority of potential jurors have said they have heard of the case, with about half saying they have already formed an opinion.
That was the case again on Monday. Of the 45 potential jurors questioned to start the week, 41 said they have seen, heard of, or talked about the case. In addition, 31 said they have already formed an opinion and 13 have a bias toward one side or the other.
After group questioning, candidates fill out paperwork then meet with Judge Beverly Cannone and attorneys. They are either added to the jury, or sent home.
Read's first trial ended with a mistrial due to a "starkly divided" hung jury. On Thursday, Read appealed her case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Jury selection for the first trial took five days over more than a week.
WBZ Legal Analyst Katherine Loftus believes the 16-person jury could be seated this week, albeit, slowly.
"I would bet maybe early next week, mid next week. But that also, you know, takes into consideration that we have to pick at least one juror per day for the next five or six days," Loftus said.
Lawyers or the judge can strike a juror at any time for a reason, like bias for example.
Both sides can strike jurors 16 times each for no reason. Karen Read says her lawyers have already struck about 10 jurors, and she believes the prosecution has used about 11 strikes.
How to watch Karen Read trial
The Karen Read trial will be streaming live on CBS News Boston from opening statements right through the verdict.
For a full timeline of the Karen Read case, click here.