Karen Read Seeks Supreme Court Intervention to Halt Retrial

Read's legal team argues that double jeopardy protections bar her retrial on two charges, as jury selection continues in Massachusetts.

Karen Read's attorneys have filed an emergency petition with the U.S. Supreme Court, requesting a stay on her retrial while the Court reviews double jeopardy claims.
The defense asserts that jurors in the 2024 mistrial unanimously acquitted Read on second-degree murder and leaving the scene charges, though the decision was not announced in court.
Jury selection for the retrial, which began on April 1, 2025, has seated 12 jurors so far, with four alternates still needed before opening statements can begin.
Prosecutors allege that Read intentionally struck her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, with her SUV in 2022, while her defense claims she is being framed by law enforcement.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, responsible for emergency matters in Massachusetts, will decide whether to act on the petition or refer it to the full Supreme Court for consideration.