Jury selection process begins for Karen Read's second murder trial

Karen Read's second trial is officially underway, with the jury selection process having begun on Tuesday morning.

Read arrived at court shortly before 9 a.m., giving a thumbs up as she entered the building.

Jury selection began at 9:30 a.m., with prosecutors and defense attorneys introducing themselves to prospective jurors and Judge Beverly Cannone explaining the details of the trial and how the jury selection process will work.

She also urged potential jurors not to be swayed by public opinion, noting that there is a great deal of interest in the case.

"We know that on the subject of this case, there are people adovcating for one outcome or another with intensity, but without the benefit of having seen any evidence at all," Cannone said. "The law works in a different way, and the difference is crucial to our system of justice."

The judge then read a lengthy witness list, and then asked some general questions of each of the jurors, including whether they know any of the lawyers or witnesses or have discussed or formed any opinions about the case.

Court then went into recess around 10:20 a.m. so that jurors could fill out more detailed questionnaires.

A lot of what happens in this trial is expected to look familiar from her first trial that ended with a hung jury in 2024. However, there will be a few key differences that will set this retrial apart.

One of those differences will be in how Read's team of attorneys can go about defending her.

Read is charged with backing into her boyfriend, John O'Keefe — a Boston police officer — and leaving him to die in the snow outside of a Canton, Massachusetts, home in 2022. Her defense claims she is the target of a coverup at the hands of a group of corrupt police officers and their families.

During the first trial, a major element to her defense was a third party defense. Her attorneys tried pinning O'Keefe's death on three others — Brian Albert, Colin Albert and Brian Higgins.

On Monday, however, Cannone ruled that there is not enough evidence for the defense to try and blame Colin Albert. She added that if the defense wants to use third party defense against Brian Albert and Brian Higgins, they will need to provide additional evidence than what was presented during the first trial.

Ultimately, a jury will decide whether or not Read is guilty of killing O'Keefe.

“A lot of people say that they’re looking for a fair impartial to be able to put them on the panel," NBC10 Boston legal analyst Michael Coyne said. "Ultimately, neither side is truly looking for a fair and impartial juror, what they’re really looking for are jurors that are likely able to agree with their version of the events.”

Supporters and opponents of Read will need to abide by a larger buffer zone surrounding Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, in an effort to ensure jurors can't hear chanting or honking while inside the courtroom.

Cannone said Tuesday that she estimates the trial will last about 6-8 weeks. Full days are expected, but she said there could be some half days or days off during the trial.