Karen Read trial begins: How long will jury selection take?
DEDHAM – More than 1,000 people from Norfolk County have been called to Norfolk Superior Court to possibly be considered to serve on the jury for Karen Read's second murder trial.
Court spokeswoman Jennifer Donahue said approximately 275 people Norfolk County have been summoned for jury duty each day this week, Tuesday through Friday.
"This is a larger number than the Office of Jury Commissioner would normally summon, because of the impanelment for the trial of Commonwealth v. Karen Read," Donahue said in an email.
Read, 45, is accused of killing her boyfriend, Braintree native and Boston police officer John O'Keefe, by backing into him with her SUV outside a Canton home in January 2022 and leaving him to die in a snowstorm following a night of drinking.
But defense attorneys for Read say she was framed for O'Keefe's death.
Read's first trial in Norfolk Superior Court ended in a mistrial last July 1. Jury selection in her retrial is slated to begin April 1.
How long will jury selection take?
Donahue said the Office of Jury Commissioner issues summonses to jurors three months in advance of the date they are required to serve, so the office has been working well in advance to have enough potential jurors available.
If a full jury is not impaneled by April 4, Donahue said approximately 243 jurors per day have already been summoned in order to meet the existing needs of the court.
"We do not have an estimate for how long impanelment will take," she said.
Jury selection took five days in Read's first trial, and 19 jurors and alternates were selected from a pool of 401 people who were vetted.
Judge Beverly Cannone, at the last pre-trial conference for the case, said she expects many potential jurors will have heard about the case.
“I think it’s going to take a very long time to get a jury,” she said.
The intrigue and scandal surrounding the case grabbed the attention of people across the country, and true crime YouTubers, TikTokers and internet sleuths begin following the Read case. It has been the subject of several true crime documentaries, including a recent Investigation Discovery docuseries "A Body in the Snow" about the case.
What will potential jurors be asked?
In Read's first trial, prospective jurors were asked whether they had contact with any witnesses, whether they had heard about the case and whether they had formed any opinions. They were also asked to fill out a 29-item questionnaire.
Cannone estimated that it will take potential jurors 60 to 90 minutes to fill out the questionnaire.
One proposed question gives jurors the chance to write down what they know about the case.
Cannone said the defense and prosecution should come up with a joint proposal for jurors they agree should be excused for cause.