Judge to decide on defense motion in Read murder case

DEDHAM, Mass. (WLNE) — The polarizing Karen Read murder case rekindled Friday with a hearing on a recent defense motion.

Attorneys gathering in the afternoon for a hearing on Read’s motion to dismiss charges in the death of her boyfriend John O’Keefe.

Read is accused of hitting O’Keefe with her car and leaving him to die in a snowstorm after he was found dead outside of a canton home in January 2022.

Her defense argued O’Keefe, a Boston police officer, was dragged outside after a fight at a fellow officer’s home.

The case previously resulted in a mistrial as jurors deadlocked.

That mistrial serving as the focal point of Friday’s hearing to dismiss the charges, with Read’s defense asking for the court to reconvene the jury for a hearing.

The defense added that it had reason to believe jurors did come to a unanimous conclusion on two of the three charges, saying it wants both of those dismissed.

“We are hopeful that the prosecution would join us in not seeking a new trial if they were convinced by these jurors under oath,” Defense Attorney Martin Weinberg said.

Supporters continued to protest on both sides, with crowds gathering in dueling rallies outside the courthouse in Dedham.

“Asking them how they voted and what their vote was is infringing into that deliberative process that is specifically excluded from any point of contention or inquiry,” prosecutor Adam Lally said.

The judge adjourned Friday’s hearing without a decision and is expected to make to a ruling in the coming days.