Prosecutor Moves to Muzzle Karen Read Defense From Blaming Party Guests—or the Dog

The high-profile retrial of Karen Read—the woman accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe—has taken another legal twist. On Friday, the special prosecutor tapped to lead the case, assistant district attorney Hank Brennan, filed a brisk, two-sentence motion aimed at stopping Read's defense from pointing fingers at other party guests—or even a pet dog—during next week's opening statements.

Brennan urged the court to bar Read's legal team from suggesting that anyone inside the Canton, Massachusetts house where O'Keefe died (including, yes, a German shepherd named Chloe) could have caused injuries to the victim. He cited a previous order, reminding everyone that the defense can't start floating alternative culprit theories in front of the jury unless they first lay out solid evidence at trial—no blaming the dog before the facts are in.

The motion comes as the retrial is about to kick off, with opening statements scheduled for Tuesday. O'Keefe was found dead outside fellow Boston police officer Brian Albert's home on January 29, 2022, after an after-party attended by multiple law enforcement colleagues and their spouses. Prosecutors say Read hit O'Keefe with her Lexus SUV during a drunken argument, then left him in the yard. She maintains her innocence.

Notably, the defense had plans to show photos of injuries on O'Keefe's right arm in their opening statement—possibly to bolster claims that the wounds could have come from a person or animal other than Read. But the prosecution wants any such speculation kept tightly in check until admissible evidence is provided.

The legal sparring over Chloe the German shepherd isn’t just a sideshow. Judge Beverly Cannone just ruled that both sides can bring in dog bite experts, but with tight boundaries. The prosecution’s expert, Dr. James Crosby, can testify about dog bites in general, but can’t single out Chloe as innocent by name. (Honestly, this trial is starting to sound like a true crime podcast with guest appearances from canines.)

O'Keefe’s cause of death was determined to be severe head trauma and hypothermia, though he also had injuries to his hands and arm. Read’s first trial ended in a hung jury last year. She’s pleaded not guilty and has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to drop two of the three charges, citing a partial, unannounced verdict as grounds.

With opening statements just around the corner, it’s clear the blame game in this courtroom is about to get a whole lot more interesting—just don’t expect the dog to take the stand.