Opening statements in the Karen Read retrial are due to begin in less than a week, after jury selection concluded Tuesday, and Karen Read says she's ready.
"I've been ready. I have no choice but to be ready," she said outside of Norfolk Superior Court Wednesday. "I feel strong. I've got an amazing team and I'm anxious."
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She was attended a final hearing before those opening statements where the judge heard arguments on outstanding motions in the murder case.
Judge Beverly Cannone had already said there would be no court Thursday or Friday, meaning Wednesday's hearing to finalize any pending motions was the last court day. There were a flurry of arguments made, with Cannone thinking over how to rule.
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In a sign of what the trial might feature, defense attorney Alan Jackson and special prosecutor Hank Brennan clashed over accident reconstruction experts from ARCCA, who investigated the case for federal authorities. The defense is calling the experts to refute the state’s contention that Read fatally struck John O’Keefe with her vehicle, while the prosecution wants the jury to know about their alleged relationship with the defense as well as have the scope of their testimony limited.
"My attempt was never to preclude ARCCA from testifying, never. But it was to preclude the defense from trying this case by ambush," Brennan said, while Jackson retorted, "There is no ambush."
Blogger Aidan Kearney, known as "Turtleboy," will be able to be court during testimony, except when witnesses he's accused of intimidating are on the stand.
The prosecution had moved to bar him, saying they might call him as a witness. But he said he'd only plead the Fifth against self-incrimination, so Cannone allowed him in the courtroom under the same conditions as the first trial, which Kearney described as a victory.
It took 10 days to seat the full jury of nine men and nine women; nearly 600 people were screened. The biggest issue was that nearly 90% of the candidates knew of the case and more than half had already formed an opinion.
