KAREN Read's second murder trial has already spiraled into chaos as an onlooker was arrested while protestors surrounded the courthouse on the retrial's first day.
Read's supporters were seen holding signs and chanting about her innocence as the woman accused of killing her cop boyfriend smirked while walking past them into court on Tuesday.
Read, 45, is accused of intentionally reversing her SUV into her boyfriend, Boston cop John O'Keefe, in January 2022 after a night of heavy drinking and leaving him for dead.
After her first murder trial ended in a mistrial last year, Read is returning to court to face charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a vehicle under the influence, and leaving the scene.
The controversial case, which has sparked national attention, drew protesters to the Massachusetts courthouse on Tuesday to share their opinions on Read, who is pleading not guilty.
Read was pictured smiling as she passed her supporters holding signs saying, “Karen Read innocent.”
As dozens of people crowded around the building, cops established a “buffer zone” to keep the public separate from the key players in the court case.
A man was seen being handcuffed on the chaotic livestream by Court TV ahead of the trial's start on Tuesday morning.
As Read was pictured again smiling while speaking with her lawyers before opening statements, the judge addressed the public nature of the case.
Judge Beverly Cannonetold the jury to ignore public comments about the trial and to avoid news coverage at all costs.
Prosecutor Hank Brennan kicked off opening statements by describing the scene where O'Keefe's body was found in the snow.
He then started a fiery rant about Read's “campaign” to prove her innocence after the mistrial by giving public media interviews.
Brennan played a Dateline interview from October 2024 where Read admitted she was drunk and had a poor memory on the night O'Keefe was killed.
“You’re going to hear from her own lips in many of her statements, her admissions,” Brennan told the court.
Defense attorney Alan Jackson then started his opening statement by slamming Michael Proctor, the former lead investigator on the case.
Proctor was fired after it was revealed during Read's last trial that he sent vulgar and inappropriate text messages about the suspect.
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