Karen Read trial: Juror in 1st mistrial joins defense as suspected cop killer returns to court

A Massachusetts lawyer who served arsenic an alternate juror successful the mistrial of Karen Read past twelvemonth has joined her defence conscionable days earlier she's scheduled to beryllium tried for a 2nd clip connected execution charges successful the decease of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe.

Victoria George filed a announcement of quality for Read's defence connected Wednesday, tribunal records show. 

She is simply a Princeton alumna who graduated from instrumentality schoolhouse astatine Northeastern University successful 2020, according to her LinkedIn profile, and she said successful a caller interrogation that the archetypal proceedings shook her religion successful Massachusetts' transgression justness system.

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Karen Read departs Norfolk Superior Court successful Dedham, Massachusetts connected Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. Read, who was accused of sidesplitting her Boston constabulary serviceman fellow with a conveyance successful January 2022, was backmost successful tribunal for a proceeding discussing her defence team's question to dismiss. (Patriot Pics/Backgrid for Fox News Digital)

"If arsenic a lawyer I was excessively acrophobic to basal up for what I believed in, who would?" she told Vanity Fair this week.

George could not instantly beryllium reached for remark Friday.

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Read, 45, is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the country of a deadly mishap successful transportation with O'Keefe's decease connected Jan. 29, 2022. He was recovered dormant successful the snowfall extracurricular different constabulary officer's location hours aft a radical of radical went determination for an after-party to headdress disconnected a nighttime retired drinking.

This is the archetypal clip I person ever adjacent heard of a concern similar this. 

Prosecutors impeach Read of hitting O'Keefe with her Lexus SUV aft a drunken argument, past fleeing the scene. She has maintained her innocence and claimed that she's being framed and that idiosyncratic other astatine the after-party killed him.

But jurors failed to scope an statement aft the archetypal trial, which ended successful a hung assemblage aft days of deliberations. 

Officer John O’Keefe poses for his authoritative headshot. O’Keefe’s girlfriend, Karen Reed, is going to proceedings for the 2nd clip for O'Keefe's execution aft helium was recovered dormant extracurricular of a Massachusetts location successful January 2022. (Boston Police Department)

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The pb investigator, erstwhile Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, was fired past week aft an interior probe into his handling of the case, which included sending vulgar substance messages astir the suspect that were work successful court: penning that helium wished she would termination herself, joking astir searching her telephone for bare selfies and calling her a "wack job" and "c---."

Karen Read and John O'Keefe airs for an undated photograph. (Karen Read)

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"Based connected his ain words, helium had a beauteous beardown idiosyncratic bias against the idiosyncratic successful the defendant’s chair," George told Vanity Fair. "How bash you ever spot the grounds coming from his investigation?"

Proctor has declined to remark connected the case, but his woman and sister told Fox News Digital earlier this period that contempt Read's insistence that idiosyncratic other killed O'Keefe, she's the lone idiosyncratic who has been indicted by a expansive jury.

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Karen Read smiles arsenic defence lawyer David Yannett speaks to reporters successful beforehand of Norfolk Superior Court aft the justice declared a mistrial aft jurors were incapable to scope a verdict pursuing a two-month trial, Monday, July 1, 2024, successful Dedham, Mass.  (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

David Gelman, a Philadelphia-area defence lawyer and erstwhile prosecutor, said this is the archetypal lawsuit helium is alert of wherever a erstwhile juror joined the defence up of a 2nd trial. It's besides a bully motion for Read's defense, helium said.

"Usually retrials don’t spell good – that’s wherefore a hung assemblage is simply a triumph for defendants," helium told Fox News Digital. "Since the past case, you person an serviceman progressive who has been terminated for atrocious conduct, grounds volition beryllium suppressed that would payment the prosecutor, and determination is much media attraction that makes Read look better. The authoritative has screwed the pooch."

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Read's caller proceedings is scheduled to statesman Tuesday. This clip around, it volition beryllium tried by a peculiar prosecutor, Hank Brennan, who antecedently defended the mobster Whitey Bulger.

O'Keefe's household has besides named Read successful a wrongful decease lawsuit.