Prosecutors in the Karen Read murder case have asked Judge Beverly Cannone to seal material related to “an unrelated ongoing criminal case,” court documents show.
In a one-page Norfolk Superior Court filing obtained by Boston 25 News, special prosecutor Hank Brennan asked Judge Beverly Cannone to “issue a protective order restricting the public dissemination of any communications” the prosecutor shared on Nov. 26 with Read’s legal team. 2024.
“This order is necessary to achieve the vested privacy and security interests of witnesses and the victim’s family,” the prosecutor said in the filing. “In addition, certain materials provided in discovery in this case may be evidence in an unrelated ongoing criminal case.”
The filing did not provide specific details about the other criminal case mentioned in the filing and Read’s attorneys did not oppose the prosecutor’s request.
Read, 44, is accused of hitting her boyfriend John O’Keefe, a Boston police officer, with her Lexus SUV in January 2022 and leaving him in a snowstorm in Canton after a night of drinking.
The defense has tried to portray Read as a victim, saying O’Keefe was actually killed in the home of fellow police officer Brian Albert, then dragged outside and left for dead.
Earlier this month, Cannone approved a motion by both the prosecution and defense to delay the start of Read’s second murder trial for three months, from January to April 2025.
They all stand as the jury heads into the courtroom to begin their fifth day of deliberations in the murder trial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, Monday, July 1, 2024. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, swimming pool)
Karen Read jurors tell the judge they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict
Day 3 of jury deliberation ends without a verdict in the Karen Read trial
Karen Read awaits the jury’s verdict in her murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP)
Lawyers in Karen Read’s murder case argue with the judge over the jury’s verdict
Some of the witnesses in court Tuesday include Brian Albert, Colin Albert and Jennifer McCabe.
Karen Lees
Karen Read, center right, sits Monday, June 10, 2024, in Norfolk Super Court, in Dedham, Massachusetts, during her trial on charges related to the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe. (Kayla Bartkowski/ The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Karen Read sits Monday, June 10, 2024, in Norfolk Super Court, in Dedham, Massachusetts, during her trial on charges related to the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe. (Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via AP , Pole)
Karen Lees
Karen Read smiles after listening to her attorney Alan Jackson during her trial at Norfolk County Superior Court, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Dedham, Massachusetts. Read, 44, is accused of running into her boyfriend, a Boston police officer, with her SUV in the middle of a nor’eas and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Swimming Pool)
Karen Lees
Karen Lees
Karen Read sits with her legal team in court on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Dedham, Massachusetts. Read, 44, is accused of running into her boyfriend, a Boston police officer, with her SUV in the middle of a nor’easter and leaving him behind. for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (David McGlynn/New York Post via AP, Pool)
Karen Read sits with her legal team in court, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Dedham, Massachusetts. Read, 44, is accused of running into her boyfriend, a Boston police officer, with her SUV in the middle of a nor’easter and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (David McGlynn/New York Post via AP, Pool)
The prosecution and defense have said delaying the retrial would lead to a “more efficient” presentation of evidence.
Days after Read’s first trial ended with a hung jury and a mistrial, Cannone scheduled Read’s retrial for January 27, 2025.
The SJC is currently determining whether jurors who attended Read’s first trial will be questioned about their deliberations. The SJC will issue a written decision, which could take months to publish.
Read’s attorneys fought to dismiss her second-degree murder and leave the scene of a deadly charge on double jeopardy charges after multiple jurors told them the jury agreed to acquit on those counts. Double Jeopardy is a legal protection that prevents someone from being prosecuted twice for the same crime.
Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey opposes Read’s bid to have the charges dropped, arguing that Cannone was correct in ruling that all of Read’s charges should stand for her retrial.
Cannone also recently denied Brennan’s request for phone records of Read’s parents.
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