Karen Read’s retrial for the murder of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, began with tensions between the defense and prosecution over discovery issues. During opening statements, defense attorney Alan Jackson argued that Read’s Lexus SUV did not collide with O’Keefe, while prosecutor Hank Brennan claimed Read intentionally ran him over. Disputes arose regarding expert testimony from the ARCCA crash-reconstruction firm, which may impact the trial’s outcome. The courtroom saw a heated exchange over evidence disclosures, and jurors heard testimonies from paramedics and friends, with the trial expected to last six to eight weeks. Read faces life imprisonment if convicted.
The retrial of Karen Read concerning the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, commenced on Tuesday with immediate dramatic exchanges, continuing even after Judge Beverly Cannone dismissed jurors for the day following a contentious hearing on late evidence disclosures.
Both parties presented contrasting narratives during their opening statements to the jury, but after the panel left, Cannone scheduled a new hearing for Friday and accused the defense of contravening one of her orders regarding reciprocal discovery.
Defense attorney Alan Jackson began by disputing the prosecution’s main argument: that O’Keefe succumbed to injuries inflicted when Read’s Lexus SUV allegedly struck him during a nor’easter.
“The evidence presented will clearly demonstrate three key points,” he stated. “There was no collision with John O’Keefe. There was no collision. There was no collision.”
KAREN READ’S DEFENSE STRUGGLES WITH ‘HIGH-WIRE’ ACT AS RETRIAL’S OPENING STATEMENTS BEGIN, EXPERT OPINIONS SUGGEST
Attorney Alan Jackson delivers his opening remarks at Karen Read’s second murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Stuart Cahill /The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Special prosecutor Hank Brennan presented a starkly different account during his own opening remarks, claiming to the jurors that Read, allegedly intoxicated and enraged, deliberately accelerated and collided with O’Keefe using her back bumper, subsequently leaving him on the ground, where he was later discovered with grave head injuries and signs of hypothermia.
The outcome of both cases may depend on whether two defense experts are permitted to provide testimony regarding their findings.
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After the jurors had departed, the factions engaged in a heated motion hearing addressing whether expert testimony from the ARCCA crash-reconstruction firm should be permitted.
Judge Beverly J. Cannone addresses potential jurors during the jury selection process for Karen Read’s murder retrial in Norfolk Superior Court on April 14, 2025, in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
During the first trial, two experts from the firm provided testimony, challenging the prosecution’s account of events.
Brennan informed the judge that prosecutors had uncovered additional conclusions from the experts—information that his team would not have sufficient time to prepare for since disclosures had not been adequately made.
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Defense attorney Robert Alessi contended that it was Brennan’s team who created delays in discovery by amending their own expert disclosures in March, mere weeks before Read’s retrial commenced with jury selection on April 1.
John O’Keefe in an undated image. O’Keefe passed away on January 29, 2022. His girlfriend, Karen Read, is accused of hitting him with her Lexus SUV and leaving the scene. (Courtesy of Karen Read)
“In a previous hearing, I identified a breach of the defense’s reciprocal discovery obligations,” Cannone noted. “It was evident to me that it was intentional. This appears contradictory to your argument, Mr. Alessi, as this represents yet another violation of my order concerning reciprocal discovery obligations. We must clarify all of this before you may call these witnesses.”
To facilitate this, she mandated a voir dire hearing with the ARCCA experts set for Friday morning, without the presence of jurors throughout the day.
Grace Edwards, a trial attorney based in Essex County who has been monitoring the case, expressed astonishment at the late-day hearing.
“They still lack the sallyport video,” she remarked, referencing the defense’s and police’s surveillance footage from when Read’s SUV was initially impounded. “It seems like they were playing hide and seek with the video. This feels excessive.”
Special prosecutor Hank Brennan presents his opening argument during Karen Read’s second murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Stuart Cahill /The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Brennan had previously requested Judge Cannone to exclude the ARCCA team, and Edwards forecasted that any new testimony expected from ARCCA may pose challenges for the prosecution.
“She barely allowed this to occur at all. There’s bound to be dissatisfaction regarding this,” stated Paul Mauro, a former NYPD inspector who has been observing the case closely. “This spells very bad news for the defense.”
KAREN READ’S DEFENSE STRUGGLES WITH ‘HIGH-WIRE’ ACT AS RETRIAL’S OPENING STATEMENTS BEGIN, EXPERTS WARN
Read appeared unflustered, smiling as she greeted reporters outside the courthouse steps.
“I feel amazing,” she remarked. “Today was successful. We prepared diligently, and I’m proud of my team.”
Karen Read arrives back in court after lunch with her defense attorney Robert Alessi during her trial in Norfolk Superior Court on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Dedham, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
When asked why Jackson did not commence his opening statement in the same fashion as defense counsel David Yannetti did a year prior, declaring jurors that she had been “framed,” she retorted, “We prefer not to repeat past performances.”
The first witness called was Timothy Nuttall, a paramedic who assessed O’Keefe when an ambulance arrived on the scene around 6 a.m. on January 29, 2022.
He testified that as first responders attempted to administer CPR, Read repeatedly exclaimed, “I hit him. I hit him. I hit him.”
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However, during cross-examination, Jackson was quick to challenge Nuttall’s memory, highlighting that during Read’s previous trial, he stated Read repeated the phrase only twice.
He also questioned Nuttall regarding his earlier testimony about O’Keefe’s clothing, which turned out to be incorrect when he testified last year. Then he played dashcam footage featuring paramedics on the scene, directing Nuttall through the footage and pointing out discrepancies between his testimony and the visual evidence presented.
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Nuttall appeared somewhat uncomfortable as Jackson probed his recollections, past testimonies, and timeline of events repeatedly. Nevertheless, he maintained that he heard Read say “I hit him,” multiple times.
Canton Fire Department paramedic Timothy Nuttall demonstrates how to check a Carotid Pulse during Karen Read’s second murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Stuart Cahill/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
The second witness was Kerry Roberts, a close friend of O’Keefe whose son was the same age as his adopted nephew. Though she grew up with the victim, their bond deepened after he adopted her sister’s orphaned children following a family tragedy.
Roberts was among those Read contacted on the morning of O’Keefe’s death.
She stated that she was transporting Read and Jennifer McCabe as they searched for O’Keefe that morning. After first checking his house without success, they went to the Albert home—where McCabe and other friends had gathered for an after-party the night before.
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Karen Read in a booking photo following her arrest in connection with the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, in 2022. (Massachusetts State Police)
“As we neared the house, Karen in the back seat started yelling, ‘There he is! There he is! Let me the F out of this car,’ kicking the back door to escape,” Roberts recounted.
She noted the visibility was poor, and she could not see O’Keefe until Read approached a mound on the front lawn that resembled a body.
Judge Cannone excused the jurors for the day following that testimony. Roberts is set to return to the stand Wednesday morning.
Authorities found John O’Keefe near a Canton, Massachusetts home on the morning of January 29, 2021. (Boston Police Department)
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The trial is anticipated to last six to eight weeks following over two weeks for jury selection.
Read faces a potential life sentence if convicted of the primary charge, second-degree murder.