Crime Karen Read with her attorney Alan Jackson during jury selection in her murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Dedham. Nancy Lane/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool

By Abby Patkin

April 15, 2025 | 3:20 PM

Eighteen jurors are reportedly locked in for Karen Read’s second murder trial, bringing jury selection to a close and setting the stage for opening statements next week. 

The jury comprises nine women and nine men, according to published reports from journalists with WCVB, WBZ, and Boston 25 News. The Norfolk Superior Court clerk’s office was not immediately able to confirm those reports by phone Tuesday afternoon. All told, nearly 600 prospective jurors were called in for screening throughout a jury selection process that spanned about two weeks. 

Opening statements in Read’s highly anticipated retrial are slated for next Tuesday, April 22, with a motions hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 16, WBZ’s Kristina Rex reported.

Read, 45, is accused of backing her SUV into her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, in a drunken rage following a night of bar-hopping in Canton in January 2022. While prosecutors allege Read left O’Keefe to die in a blizzard while dropping him off at a fellow Boston officer’s home, her lawyers contend she was framed in a vast law enforcement conspiracy. 

Read has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. This will be her second time standing trial, following a mistrial last July. 

Only 12 of the 18 jurors seated for the retrial will actually decide Read’s fate; the remaining jurors will serve as alternates and sit out deliberations.

Judge Beverly Cannone has estimated Read’s case will take between six to eight weeks to try, once opening statements begin and testimony gets underway.

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse Tuesday, Read said she and her lawyers are “pleased” with the selected jurors and “ready to get this show on the road,” per video from NBC 10 WJAR reporter Katie Benoit.  Special prosecutor Hank Brennan has indicated he plans to introduce out-of-court statements Read has made regarding her case, including her comments to journalists. Read’s response? 

“Come at me,” she fired back Tuesday, adding, “I would not have said anything that I wouldn’t say again.”

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