BOSTON (WHDH) – A federal judge will not dismiss two of the charges against Karen Read, according to court documents. Read’s legal defense asked for them to be thrown out.
Read’s legal team believes the jury from last summer’s trial agreed she was innocent on two of the three charges she’s facing, second-degree murder, and leaving the scene of an accident.
The trial ended with a deadlocked jury and a mistrial.
Read’s lawyers argue that trying her again on those charges would amount to double jeopardy, and want those charges tossed.
Read’s legal team also wants the judge to call back the jury and ask how they voted during those deliberations. The federal judge denied that as well.
The judge said that trying Read again is not considered double jeopardy, and even if the jury was deadlocked on one count, they never communicated that to the court.
The judge added that calling back the jury would be ill-advised and probably unlawful, acknowledging how divisive the case is by saying, “This is a highly sensationalized prosecution that has been the subject of exceptional public scrutiny, not only locally, but nationally… There is a strong likelihood that jurors would be subject to harassment, public pressure, and social coercion” if they were called back to be questioned.
Read is charged in the 2022 death of her Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe.
Her retrial is scheduled to begin on April 1. She has the right to appeal Thursday’s decision.
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