Karen Read is currently gearing up for a high-profile retrial for the 2022 murder of her boyfriend, John O’Keefe. Read was accused of intentionally reversing her SUV into the Boston police officer after a night of heavy drinking. She then left him dead on a snowbank in Canton, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, on January 29, 2022.
The lengthy first trial continued for nine weeks, and over 65 witness testimonies were recorded. Read’s legal team denied the accusations, instead claiming that she is the victim of a “cover-up” by the local authorities. The 45-year-old’s defense attorneys also argued that the Boston law enforcement officials were actually responsible for O’Keefe’s death.
After a lengthy trial, Judge Beverly Cannone declared a mistrial after the jurors failed to reach a verdict, leading to a hung jury. As Karen gears up for a retrial, she has secured an “invaluable asset” for her legal dream team, who could potentially help her “prove innocence.” The adjunct professor’s legal team features attorneys David Yannetti, Alan Jackson, Robert Alessi, and Elizabeth Little. However, the most notable addition to the retrial is Victoria George, who was none other than an alternate juror during the initial trial last April.
Speaking with Vanity Fair, George, a licensed civil attorney in Massachusetts who is now working for Yannetti’s law firm, said, “What happened to John O’Keefe was a tragedy.”
“But just because something is sad doesn’t mean that the person in the defendant’s seat is responsible. I can feel bad for his family and believe she’s not guilty at the same time.” She said that she decided to advocate for Karen’s innocence after leaving the initial trial “wary, distrustful, and scared.” The attorney further stated that there were a few “potentially unconstitutional” decisions by Judge Cannone that also led her to shift course. George revealed to Vanity Fair that she was extremely disturbed by the sexiest text messages by Michael Proctor, where he called Read a “whack job and b—h,” adding that she should “just kill herself.”
She was also not happy with how the judge dismissed a juror merely days before the closing arguments when a Massachusetts State Officer reported that the juror appeared to be “sympathetic to the defense.”
“I waited for nearly a year after the mistrial, hoping the court system would work as intended to remedy some of the wrongs in this case,” George underscored to the magazine.
NEW: This is a statement released to me by Victoria George, an alternate juror from Karen Read’s first trial. She is also an attorney and has given me permission to share this statement, which is her reaction to today’s hearing, as well as her name. #WBZ pic.twitter.com/QeBq1g3kJK
— Kristina Rex (@KristinaRex) March 6, 2025
Benjamin Urbelis, a trial attorney in Massachusetts described her presence in Karen’s defense team as an “invaluable asset.”
“I think it’s absolutely a smart move by Karen Read and by her defense team. I don’t believe that Victoria George was brought in necessarily for her criminal defense acumen. It doesn’t appear that that’s her specialty, but she has a unique perspective,” Urbelis added.
“She understands how jurors perceive the witnesses, perceives the evidence, perceives most importantly, perhaps, the lawyers as they advocate for each of their sides. And she also, being an attorney herself, understands maybe another perspective on how to apply their defense case, given all of those considerations that sitting jurors might have.”
Speaking with The U.S. Sun, Urbelis noted that although Victoria George doesn’t really have much experience as a criminal lawyer, she might have an awakening while advocating for Read’s innocence.
Karen Read’s First Circuit Court of Appeals (federal court) appeal is denied. Court affirms the lower federal court’s decision. The only potential remaining step in this appeal is the US Supreme Court, should Read choose to petition SCOTUS. #WBZ pic.twitter.com/3KNFaFE3nm
— Kristina Rex (@KristinaRex) March 27, 2025
On Tuesday, Karen’s defense team filed a petition with the Supreme Court, urging the justices to overturn two charges against her on double jeopardy grounds. Her lawyers asked the court to dismiss the charges of second-degree murder and leaving the scene, which led to O’Keefe’s death.
Her team further argued that after the April trial, the juror came to an argument that she was not guilty of these two charges. The attorneys argued that because the jury’s deadlock “was limited to one of the three counts rather than all,” she should not have to face the charges again in court.
Read’s team’s petition added, “It was at least entitled to the opportunity to substantiate that fact in order to ensure Read is not unconstitutionally forced to stand trial for criminal offenses, including murder, of which she has already been acquitted.”
