Watch live: Karen Read murder case back in court for motions hearing ahead of 2nd trial

DEDHAM, Mass. — The Karen Read murder case returns to Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham on Thursday for another motions hearing ahead of her second trial in April.

• Boston 25 News will live stream the motions hearing in its entirety starting at 9 a.m.

Read, 44, of Mansfield, is accused of hitting her Boston police boyfriend, John O’Keefe, with her Lexus SUV on January 29, 2022, and leaving him to die in a snowstorm in Canton after a night of drinking.

Prosecutors say Read dropped O’Keefe off at a house party hosted by Albert and his wife just after midnight. As she made a three-point turn, prosecutors say she struck O’Keefe before driving away. She returned hours later to find him in a snowbank.

The defense has sought to portray Read as the victim, saying O’Keefe was actually killed inside the Albert family home and then dragged outside and left for dead.

Read’s first trial ended in July 2024 when hopelessly deadlocked jurors told Judge Beverly Cannone that they couldn’t come to a unanimous decision, leading to a mistrial.

Since then, Read’s defense team has been fighting to have the charges against her dismissed before the start of her retrial.

Last week, Cannone heard arguments on whether testimony from Richard Green, a digital forensics expert hired by the defense, will be allowed during the second trial.

During the first trial, Green alleged that Jennifer McCabe searched “how long to die in cold” and “hos long to die in cold” on Google. McCabe testified that Read asked her to make the Google search after they found her Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe dead in the snow outside of 34 Fairview Road in Canton on Jan. 29, 2022.

Green also testified that McCabe’s Google search happened at 2:27 a.m. in the morning, hours before the prosecution said it happened.

Special Prosecutor Hank Brennan has argued that Green’s testimony should be excluded from Read’s retrial because his “baseless” claims “lack any evidentiary support” and “cannot be made in good faith.” The defense also said his claims were made without “scientific, forensic, or factual support.”

The prosecution wants a special hearing with Green and an expert from the Commonwealth who can explain the science and methodology of the Google search made on McCabe’s phone.

The defense says there is no need for a special hearing.

Read’s legal team is seeking a $12,229.57 reimbursement for fees and travel expenses paid to a defense expert hired to examine the security camera system at the Canton Police Station.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2025 Cox Media Group