Karen Read’s prosecutors are seeking to ‘substantially’ reduce the number of witnesses called to speed up the upcoming retrial

Karen Read appeared in court Wednesday as attorneys from both sides of the aisle asked that a new trial for the alleged murder of her police officer boyfriend be postponed until April — with prosecutors claiming they planned to reduce the number of witnesses along the way “substantially”. all around.

“It will allow me, as I evaluate this case, which I am still working on, to substantially shorten the witness list,” Special Prosecutor Hank Brennan – whose previous clients include Boston mobster Whitey Bulger – told the court during its adjournment. arguments, the Boston Globe reported.

Read’s first trial in the 2022 death of Boston police officer John O’Keefe lasted two grueling months, during which 74 witnesses were called for extensive rounds of cross-examination. Brennan, who was assigned to the case in September, said more time would also allow him to better prepare to keep the process quick and efficient.

“I’m new to the business. I’m not looking for a personal accommodation, but I think the idea of ​​a motion to continue, a joint motion, is not only in the interests of justice, but I think – inevitably – I really believe it’s a more efficient approach will yield. and effective process,” he said, according to WCVB.

Read’s first trial ended in July with a deadlocked jury and a mistrial, while the retrial is currently scheduled for January. Her lawyer agreed with prosecutors’ request for a delay, explaining that they would also like to review a new analysis of evidence until April.

Read appeared in court Wednesday in her usual style, wearing a plaid knit dress from Theory worth about $400, watching intently as the attorneys argued their side.

Judge Beverly Cannone made no decision on the postponement requests, but scheduled two new hearings for November 26 and December 12.

The next hearing in November will discuss prosecutorial requests for phone records, while the December hearing will discuss the prospect of a new appearance by a dog bite expert who previously testified that O’Keefe appeared to have been mauled by a dog before his death.

That story was central to the defense’s explanation of the events leading up to O’Keefe’s death on January 29, 2022. They argued that the Boston officer was not killed by Read, but rather was beaten to death by his police officers during a number of fights. some kind of drunken brawl, after which he was left in the snow with Read scapegoated as the killer.

Judge Cannon also ruled that a new expert for the prosecution be allowed to test data from Karen Read’s SUV – which the state alleges O’Keefe used to run him over and leave him to die in a snowbank – while he gave the defense five days to die. find their own expert to assess the evidence.

Read also hopes she can avoid a second murder trial altogether, as the Massachusetts Supreme Court is still ruling on a request to dismiss charges of murder and leaving the scene of an accident.

Her attorneys said numerous jurors came forward to say that they had unanimously acquitted her of those charges and could not have reached a decision on manslaughter alone, but that they had misunderstood the judicial process and a mistrial was declared before they could explain their position.

Judge Cannone previously denied that motion.