Live video: Attorneys in Karen Read’s retrial in court without jurors ahead of closing arguments

DEDHAM, Mass. — Attorneys in Karen Read’s murder retrial will return to court Thursday morning without jurors present in preparation for closing arguments, which will take place on Friday.

WATCH LIVE: Streaming coverage from court begins at 10 a.m.

Read, 45, of Mansfield, is accused of striking John O’Keefe, her Boston police officer boyfriend, with her Lexus SUV and leaving him to die alone in a blizzard outside of a house party in Canton at the home of fellow officer Brian Albert on Jan. 29, 2022, following a night of drinking.

The defense rested its case late Wednesday afternoon after calling 10 witnesses. In presenting Read’s case, her lawyers alleged that O’Keefe, 46, was beaten, bitten by a dog, then left outside of 34 Fairview Road in a conspiracy orchestrated by the police that included planting evidence against her.

Lawyers for the defense and the Commonwealth will return to Dedham’s Norfolk Superior Court at 10 a.m. Thursday for arguments about evidence and a charge conference (jury instructions). The defense is also expected to ask for another dismissal of the case.

During Read’s second trial, the defense twice unsuccessfully tried for a mistrial. Read’s first trial ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury.

Read’s retrial has sparked national interest.

Before the defense rested, Wednesday featured a tense cross-examination with Special Prosecutor Hank Brennan sparring with the defense’s crash expert, Dr. Andrew Rentschler from ARCCA.

Rentschler testified that damage to Read’s taillight and O’Keefe’s clothing was inconsistent with her SUV striking an arm or body at the speed described by the prosecution.

“You think John O’Keefe did somersaults in the front yard? Is that what you are telling us, doctor?” Brennan questioned.

“No,” Rentschler replied. “I don’t think he even got hit by the car, sir.”

“You have no idea where the point of impact was in this collision, do you?” Brennan asked.

Karen Read Trial Andrew Rentschler testifies on the injuries John O'Keefe received when he died at the Karen Read retrial, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone /The Boston Herald via AP, Pool) (Matt Stone/AP)

“Nobody does,” Rentschler said.

“I’m asking,” Brennan said. “You don’t know.”

“Yeah, all right.” Rentschler replied.

The prosecution alleges Read’s taillight clipped O’Keefe in the arm, throwing him backwards before his head hit the ground.

Rentschler said the science doesn’t support that.

“There’s no indication on these X-rays of any fracture or any trauma or any type of injury to the bones or the joints,” Rentschler testified.

“Was there any indication that John O’Keefe suffered even a minimum amount of bruising on his arm at all?” Alan Jackson, Read’s defense attorney, asked.

“No indication of any amount of bruising whatsoever,” Rentschler replied.

Earlier this week, Dr. Elizabeth Laposata, a former medical examiner called by the defense, said O’Keefe’s injuries were indeed consistent with blunt force trauma to the back of the head, but that his eye wounds were not consistent with being hit by the rear of Read’s SUV. She also testified she did not think O’Keefe was hit by the SUV at all.

Karen Read Trial Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone listens to witness Dr. Elizabeth Laposata during the Karen Read retrial, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool) (Matt Stone/AP)

Defense attorneys in the case have also accused the prosecution of twisting Read’s words into a confession she never made. The state has pointed to a television interview in which Read said, “I mean, I didn’t think I ‘hit him’ hit him, but I could I have clipped him?”

After closing arguments are delivered on Friday, jurors will be sent off to deliberate on Read’s fate.

Read has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death.

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