Karen Read is making a name for herself. She is eating up the public attention and flaunting it where she can. As the murder suspect nears the end of jury selection, she continues to open up about her thoughts on her case. She is boastful about her defense team and her chance at being acquitted.
Karen Read’s murder retrial is expected for opening statements next week. She is facing several charges, including second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death. Since her arrest in 2022, she has maintained her innocence. Her defense is that she is a part of a cover-up for law enforcement.
Fight for Double Jeopardy
Her first trial in 2024 was declared a mistrial after the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict. However, it was revealed that the jurors agreed to acquit her on two of the three charges. Since then, Read’s defense team filed a petition of double jeopardy, arguing that the jury did reach a decision and trying her again for all three charges would be unconstitutional.
All attempts to have the charges thrown out have been denied thus far. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and Norfolk Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone have denied her liberation of two charges: second-degree murder and leaving the scene of personal injury. So, they filed a writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court, which requested that the lower court send the case for review to the higher court.
At the start of the second trial, Karen Read’s defense team filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court requesting a stay while she waits to see the decision made on her double jeopardy plea. Unsurprisingly, it was denied by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. The due date for the response to the petition is May 6, 2025. Until then, Read’s retrial will continue.
Victim or Fame Seeker
The time between Karen Read’s first trial and second has been, nonetheless, eventful. She has made some questionable remarks. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, she admitted feeling differently about the O.J. Simpson verdict. She said she would have applauded his acquittal.
Read said, “I felt so strongly about the prosecution and his guilt and the fact that he spent all this money on this dream team of lawyers. They all looked like snake oil salesmen to me.” She continued, “I’m not saying I believe O.J. was innocent, but I believe that it was not a completely above-board investigation. Now that I am smarter, I would’ve cheered at that acquittal. You have to hold cops accountable.”
In the same interview, she referenced Boston crime-related movies and how she looks at those differently, too. She is trying to stay relevant and interesting to her supporters by resonating with different things. Karen Read also thanked her supporters by comparing them to protestors during the Vietnam War, saying, “You would’ve protested the Vietnam War and ended it.”
With her documentary being released, you can see her true self. You can see she is getting a big head from this case. Even though she is on trial for murder, her first concern is how the media sees her. But the media is not the one to decide whether she will spend the rest of her life in prison or not. There is a reason so many potential jurors have been dismissed due to personal opinions: Karen Read will not stay out of the public eye.
