Karen Read supporters rally around Massachusetts days before jury selection for second trial begins
Karen Read supporters held several protests in various communities on Sunday as her second trial is set to get underway in a Massachusetts courtroom with jury selection this week after months of pretrial hearings.
Read is charged in the 2022 death of Boston police officer John O'Keefe, who she was dating at the time. Prosecutors accuse Read of hitting O'Keefe with her SUV after a night of heavy drinking and leaving him to die in the snow outside a Canton home.
Read has pleaded not guilty and says she is being framed as part of a coverup that involves several people, including law enforcement. Read's defense says three men could have killed O'Keefe during a fight inside the Canton home, then dragged his body outside.
"Free Karen Read" standouts
On Sunday, "standouts" were held in multiple New England states.
In Dedham at Legacy place, dozens of supporters held signs with messages like "Free Karen Read" and "FRAMED."
"She is standing up for her rights. We are standing for her rights, we are standing up for our rights. She could be me … she could be anybody on this sidewalk," said Allison Taggart, who was supporting Read during the Dedham standout.
Read's first trial ended with a mistrial due to a hung jury. Her second trial is scheduled to get underway Tuesday with jury selection that is scheduled to be a lengthy process.
"We're fighting the good fight out here, that's what brings us out here," said Read supporter Dina Warchal. "I hope the second trial, one, frees Karen Read, exposes the bad procedures that the police department has right now. There's a lot of good police officers out there and we just want the bad ones gone."
Read has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death. Read asked the judge to dismiss the entire case but was denied, setting the stage for her second trial.
"There shouldn't be a second trial, for starters," said Read supporter Susanne Cleveland. "But I hope that the second trial has a positive outcome and arrives at the truth."
