The third day of jury selection in the Karen Read murder trial got underway on Thursday morning.
List of questions prospective jurors are being asked
Of the 57 potential jurors in Thursday’s pool, 41 of them told the judge they had heard or spoken about the case, 20 said they had formed opinions, and eight admitted to have formed a bias.
As the third jury selection process of the week unfolded, DNA analysis from Bode Labs in Virginia was entered by the prosecution, Boston 25′s Ted Daniel reported .
“A piece of hair found on the back of Read’s Lexus SUV was sent to the lab to see if it matched John O’Keefe’s DNA. The defense has been trying to get the results excluded citing a delay in testing. We haven’t seen the lab report yet,” Daniel wrote in a post on X.
Read is charged with running down O’Keefe, her Boston police officer boyfriend, and leaving him to die in a blizzard in the town of Canton on Jan. 29, 2022.
Read’s defense has argued that she is being framed and that O’Keefe was beaten and attacked by a dog inside the home of another Boston police officer.
Karen Read murder trial: A guide to the key players you need to know
Follow live court updates from Boston 25′s Ted Daniel:
Five more jurors are needed on Thursday for a full jury of 12 members with four alternates. When the jury is filled, testimony can begin.
Over the last two days, 11 jurors have been chosen from about 180 people.
During the jury selection process, potential jurors are asked if they’ve heard or talked about the case, already formed an opinion, and if they have a bias towards the prosecution or defense.
They’re also filling out a form of 29 questions – wanting to know if they’ve ever been involved in a march or demonstration showing support for law enforcement or demonstrations against law enforcement.
The prosecution plans to call as many as 87 witnesses when testimony begins, including 23 members of law enforcement.
Karen Read murder trial: List of more than 160 witnesses prosecution, defense could call
The defense has submitted 77 potential witnesses including John O’Keefe’s father and Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey.
One potential juror, Tony Pardo, was excused Wednesday afternoon.
He said he hadn’t previously heard about the case but was glad not to serve on this trial.
“Well, it’s a big case, you know, and figure I’d be here for a while. It’s probably gonna be a long trial,” said Pardo. He continued, “I kind of got the sense that most people didn’t. Probably about half the people raised their hand when they were talking about having a hot ship or things of that nature.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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