Karen Read's request to pause trial denied by Supreme Court justice as jury selection nears end
Karen Read's trial will not be paused while a determination is made if the United States Supreme Court will take up her appeal on double jeopardy claims.
The decision was announced Wednesday as jury selection neared completion in the high-profile trial.
Read is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death. Read has pleaded not guilty in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe. Her first trial ended with a mistrial due to hung jury.
Karen Read Supreme Court appeal
Read has filed an appeal with the United States Supreme Court, seeking to throw out the murder and leaving the scene charges on grounds of double jeopardy. Her attorneys base the appeal on jurors who have said that behind closed doors, they unanimously voted to acquit Read on those two charges. The discussions were never revealed in open court before the mistrial was declared.
The Supreme Court has not yet decided if it will take up Read's appeal. But on Wednesday, Read's case was added to be discussed by justices at a conference on April 25. They will likely determine that day if the appeal will be heard by the nation's highest court.
Read also filed an appeal this week asking the Supreme Court to delay her state trial while deciding if her appeal will be heard. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, acting alone, denied the request on Wednesday.
Karen Read on jury selection
Entering day seven of jury selection on Wednesday inside Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, there were 12 people who had been added to the jury. By the end of the day, the jury had reached 15 people - eight men and seven women. At least 16 people are needed for the trial to begin.
"I feel good about all of them. I feel good about all of them," Read said outside court Wednesday. "Some I didn't and they're not our jurors, so that's all I can ask for, is that I feel good. It just takes one bad feeling and think God, is my life in this person's hands."
Outside of court earlier this week, Read told reporters that her expectation is that opening statements could begin Tuesday. No court sessions are currently scheduled for Friday or Monday.
Prosecutors say Read hit and killed O'Keefe with her SUV and left him to die in the snow outside a home in Canton in January 2022. Read accused law enforcement and several other people of trying to frame her.
Karen Read jury selection
Jury selection begins each day as Judge Beverly Cannone gives basic facts about the case and reads a list of potential witnesses. She then questions the jury pool as a group.
Throughout the process, the large majority of prospective jurors have said they have heard of Read's case, which has gained national attention.
Of 58 potential jurors on Wednesday, 49 had seen, heard or talked about Read's case. Of those, 27 have formed an opinion and 12 said they have formed a bias.
After group questioning, candidates fill out their questionnaires. They then meet with Cannone and attorneys and are either added to the jury or sent home.
WBZ Legal Analyst Katherine Loftus said during the private interview, jurors are likely asked about personal experiences that could reveal bias.
Loftus said the questions could include, "Have you ever had been a victim of an alcohol related crime? Do you know anybody that has been hit by a drunk driver?"
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.
