Opening statements begin in trial of Karen Read

DEDHAM, Mass. (WLNE) — Opening statements will begin today in the trial of Karen Read.

43-year-old Read of Mansfield is accused of killing her police officer John O’Keefe back in 2022 following a night of drinking. She has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors are arguing she killed O’Keefe with her vehicle during a snowstorm outside of a home in Canton. Her defense argues she’s the victim of a police coverup, and that O’Keefe was beaten inside the home by an unknown third party, and then left outside.

The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks at Norfolk County Superior Court. The case has moved to a new courtroom after Read’s defense argued that some jurors wouldn’t be able to see the faces of some of the witnesses.