Dozens of potential jurors packed into a Dedham courthouse Tuesday morning for the start of jury selection in the Karen Read case, a process expected to take several weeks to complete.
About 130 people were called to potentially serve in the Read case each day this week, beginning Tuesday. Of those 130, 92 people showed up as potential jurors in the Read case, though one person was dismissed before Judge Beverly Cannone began questioning the prospective jurors.
Before she questioned potential jurors, Cannone read a statement of the case, laying out what prosecutors say Read did: backing her SUV into her then-boyfriend, Boston Police officer John O’Keefe, outside a Canton home following a night of drinking.
She told jurors that Read is presumed innocent and has no obligation to prove her innocence during the trial.
Cannone also referenced the intense publicity that has consumed the Read case, saying, “public comment will likely continue,” but “the rule of law will be upheld.”
Read thanked the potential jurors after each lawyer introduced themselves.
Picking a jury in the Read case will be challenging, not just because of the publicity, but because of the public participation, explained Jack Lu, a retired Superior Court judge.
“In terms of publicity, there have been plenty of cases with high publicity like this one,” he said. “What sets this case apart is that there is an extra element of public participation partially fueled by click revenue (income streams from social media platform fees and related income and sales paid to creator). This is a first in Massachusetts.”
“I do believe this is a major issue,” he added.
Simply hearing about or discussing the case will not automatically disqualify a juror.
“You only need people that can understand the complicated jury instructions ... and someone with the moral commitment to follow the judge’s instructions exactly,” Lu explained. “No problem with knowing about the case, but a commitment to understanding the jury instructions, and following them, are key.”
So many jurors were called for potential service in the case that a row of folding chairs was added to the main courtroom in Norfolk Superior Court. Read wore a gray plaid suit for the first day of the trial, and was joined by all five of her lawyers, including Victoria George, an alternate juror from the first trial who joined the defense team last week.
Lawyers for both sides busily combed through court papers, highlighting specific portions, as jurors filled out questionnaires behind them.
After reading the witness list containing 150 names, Cannone asked jurors a series of questions.
When asked if they had any “personal dealings” with witnesses, seven jurors raised their hands. Then, in a moment reflecting the unique nature of Read’s case, more than three-quarters of the assembled jurors raised their hands when asked if they had heard about the case — 78 of the 91.
When Cannone asked if they had formed an opinion about the case, 40 of the 91 raised their hands.
The whole process took about an hour, and Cannone left the courtroom just before 10:30 a.m. Potential jurors were left to fill out a three-page questionnaire that asks them several more questions, including if Read should have to “prove her innocence.”
Completed questionnaires were given to court officers to be copied, then distributed to the lawyers.
When Cannone returned, several jurors were called up to the bench to be questioned individually.
More about the case
- 4th day of jury selection in Karen Read trial ends with 10 jurors picked
- Prosecutors waive right to respond to Karen Read Supreme Court petition
- Fourth day of jury selection in Karen Read trial underway Friday
- Karen Read trial: Jury selection picks back up Friday morning
- Karen Read takes double jeopardy appeal to US Supreme Court