New prosecutor will step into Karen Read murder trial

CANTON, Mass. (Court TV) — The Norfolk County District Attorney is committed to moving forward with prosecuting Karen Read , and they’re bringing in a new face to do it.

FILE – Karen Read waits for her court case to resume at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., on June 28, 2024. Read returned to court Monday, July 22, for the first time since her murder case ended in a mistrial. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool, File)

On Wednesday, Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey announced that a defense attorney would be stepping in as a special assistant DA to retry the case. Adam Lally was the prosecutor during Read’s first trial, which ended in a mistrial when the jury said it could not come to a unanimous verdict. Read is facing several charges, including second-degree murder, for the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

Morrissey named Hank Brennan, who he called a “highly respected and skilled former prosecutor and long-time defense attorney with over 25 years of experience in state and federal courts” to lead the retrial, WBTS reported . Morrissey said in the statement that Brennan would be working alongside the previous trial team, including Lally, Laura McLaughlin and Caleb Schillinger.

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Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally gives his opening statement as the murder trial for Karen Read begins in Norfolk County Superior Court, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. Read is accused of backing her SUV into her Boston Police officer boyfriend, John O’Keefe, and leaving him to die in a blizzard in Canton, in 2022. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)

Brennan is no stranger to the public eye. According to his website , his recent clients included notorious mobster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger and Nancy Kerrigan’s brother, Mark, who was charged with his father’s death.

“I have two core obligations,” Brennan said in a statement obtained by WFXT , “The first is to make certain that Karen Read receives a fair trial. Ms. Read will receive the dignity and fairness that every defendant deserves in our criminal justice system. The second is to ensure that the facts surrounding John O’Keefe’s death are fully and fairly aired in the courtroom without outside influence.”

Read, in the meantime, has asked the state’s highest court to dismiss two of the charges against her , arguing that the jury had come to a unanimous decision on two of the charges before Judge Beverly Cannone declared a mistrial.

Read’s retrial is scheduled to begin on Jan. 27, 2025.