After many months of courtroom showdowns, conspiracy theories and
accusations of a cover-up, the trial in the killing of Boston Police
Officer John O�Keefe starts today.

O�Keefe�s body was found in the snow on January 29, 2022, outside the home
of a fellow Boston police officer in Canton, Massachusetts. His
girlfriend, former finance professor Karen Read, has pleaded not guilty to
second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and leaving
the scene of a collision.

Residents of Canton and neighboring suburbs have spent months debating two
potential scenarios: Was O�Keefe beaten inside the officer�s house and
tossed outside to die in the snow? Or did his girlfriend fatally strike
him with her black Lexus SUV?

Protesters have accused local authorities of a cover-up to protect the
homeowner and have stormed city council meetings to demand answers. Some
have formed private Facebook pages and frequented blogs to discuss
intricacies of that fateful night, turning what began as a local homicide
case into a national sensation.

Jury selection started Tuesday in Norfolk County, south of Boston. The
case�s heavy publicity complicates the process of picking an impartial
jury, which may come down to selecting jurors who are familiar with
O�Keefe�s killing or have read about it but have not formed an opinion,
said Daniel Medwed, a criminal law professor at Northeastern University.

�It�s fair to say a large number of people in Massachusetts know about
this case,� Medwed told CNN. �What happens in these jury selection
processes is that the lawyers will say, �Well, given what you know, can
you still be fair�? It�s possible that there could be 12 citizens,
residents of this county, who haven�t made up their mind.�

The case has sharply divided the Boston suburb of 24,000 people and
neighboring towns.

As the trial gets underway at the Norfolk County Superior Court building
in Dedham, Massachusetts, here are the key highlights.

The case comes down to a crucial six-hour window
The case revolves around the six hours before O�Keefe�s body was
discovered that winter night. Surveillance footage captured video of him
and Read on a night out on January 28, 2022 drinking at two Canton bars
and meeting up with friends, including the fellow officer.

Shortly after midnight, the couple climbed into Read�s SUV and drove to
the home of O�Keefe�s colleague on Fairview Road in Canton for an after-
party, court documents show.

Read, 44, has said she dropped off O�Keefe at the Fairview Road house,
then drove to his home because she wasn�t feeling well, according to court
documents. She said she later woke up in the predawn hours and panicked
when she realized he was not home.

She told investigators she then called two female acquaintances and the
three women drove through the streets of Canton in near white-out
conditions, looking for O�Keefe and calling his name, court documents
show.

Read spotted her boyfriend�s body in the front yard of the house, covered
in snow, and rushed to perform CPR on him, court documents show.

Read and her legal team, including attorneys Alan Jackson and David
Yannetti, have argued their client is being framed. Jackson told CNN that
he believes O�Keefe entered the Fairview Road house that night and got
into an altercation with someone inside.

�I think that confrontation got physical, and he was beaten to a point of
unconsciousness,� Jackson said. �This was a coverup � he was murdered
inside that house and his body placed outside.�

But the prosecution alleges that the couple got into an argument that led
to O�Keefe getting out of the Lexus, after which a drunken Read struck him
with her vehicle and fled, leaving him to die in the snowy cold.

In case documents and in court, Read�s attorneys have said they believe
one of the two female acquaintances, the homeowner�s sister-in-law, is
part of a cover-up to protect the people inside the house and frame Read
for the crime.

A forensic search of the woman�s phone revealed a Google search for the
phrase, �Ho(w) long to die in cold� hours before O�Keefe was found,
according to court documents.

But the woman has not been charged with a crime and her attorney, Kevin
Reddington, has told local media that allegations of her involvement in a
cover-up are baseless.

Meanwhile, Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey has said
allegations that a network of law enforcement agencies conspired to frame
Read are not plausible.

�These people were not part of a conspiracy and certainly did not commit
murder or any crime that night,� Morrissey said. �The idea that multiple
police departments, EMTs, fire personnel, the medical examiner and
prosecuting agencies are joining in � a vast conspiracy should be seen for
what it is � completely contrary to the evidence and a desperate attempt
to reassign guilt.�

The furor over the case has divided the town
The case has been marked by legal wrangling for months. Last week, both
the defense and prosecution filed a flurry of motions over evidence they
want to introduce or exclude from the trial. For example, prosecutors are
seeking to show jurors details from a December 2021 trip the couple took
to Aruba, arguing that it shows strains in the couple�s relationship.

The US Attorney�s Office for the District of Massachusetts has launched a
federal probe into Read�s arrest and prosecution. In February, federal
officials released some 3,000 pages of documents about their
investigation. Most of the information was withheld from the public.

And last month, the Massachusetts State Police announced an investigation
into a state trooper who is involved in the case. The agency did not
elaborate on whether the alleged violation is related to the charges
against Read.

The investigation was announced the same week Read�s defense team alleged
the trooper did not fully disclose his relationship with key witnesses in
the case. Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally accused
the defense of using the relationships to distract from Read�s alleged
guilt, CNN affiliate WFXT reported.

�It�s a three-card Monte trick. You know, card trick. On the corner, on
the side. Look at all of this. Look at this relationship. Look at that
relationship,� Lally said.

In November, Canton residents voted for an independent investigation into
the police department after a special town meeting that focused on Read�s
case. At the time, Canton Police Chief Helena Rafferty told CNN that
investigators found �absolutely no evidence of a cover-up in the tragic
death of John O�Keefe.�

Meanwhile, pretrial hearings have drawn protesters wearing �Free Karen
Read� sweatshirts and carrying placards with similar messages. In response
Norfolk County Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone issued an order
establishing a �buffer zone� around the courthouse to keep protesters away
and restrict what they are wearing.

�No individual may demonstrate in any manner, including carrying signs or
placards, within 200 feet of the courthouse complex during trial of this
case. �. No individuals will be permitted to wear or exhibit any buttons,
photographs, clothing, or insignia relating to � any trial participant,�
the order said.

In ordering the buffer zone, Cannone said there have been documented cases
of protesters shouting at witnesses and confronting family members outside
court.

�There is a substantial risk that the defendant�s right to a fair trial
will be jeopardized if prospective jurors are exposed to the protests and
messages displayed on signs,� Cannone wrote.

Read�s supporters have argued the order violates their First Amendment
rights. Early Tuesday morning, like they have every time she�s appeared in
court, they gathered in the streets outside the courthouse with their
sweatshirts and placards, shouting, �we�re behind you� and �go get them�
as she arrived. Flanked by her lawyers, Read placed her hand over her
heart in silent acknowledgment.

But this time, the protesters stood behind the barrier mandated by the
judge. �No First Amendment Rights Beyond This Point,� one sign said.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/16/us/karen-read-trial-boston-cec/index.html