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The choice made by Karen Read’s defense team to not have her testify could either benefit or hurt her case, especially following the prosecution’s use of damaging interview footage during her second murder trial, which allowed the jury to hear her side of the story.
Karen Read is facing a potential life sentence for allegedly murdering her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe. The prosecution argues that Read hit O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV during a drunken altercation, leaving him to succumb to the cold outside a friend’s house party shortly after midnight on January 29, 2022.
Her defense asserts that her vehicle did not collide with O’Keefe at all.
“When I first started practicing, the advice was to never let your client take the stand,” said New York City defense attorney Louis Gelormino in an interview with Fox News Digital. “However, I’ve found that we’ve achieved significant victories when we did allow our clients to testify.”
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Karen Read walks with attorney Alan Jackson during her trial in Dedham, Massachusetts, on May 27, 2025. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
On Tuesday, the defense lodged their proposed jury instructions, indicating that Read would not testify during the trial.
“As you have heard, Ms. Read did not take the stand in this trial,” the instructions state. “You should not hold that against her. Ms. Read has the absolute right to remain silent because she is presumed innocent and does not need to prove her innocence.”
The instructions clarify that her decision not to testify is irrelevant to the jury’s considerations and cannot be treated as evidence. Legal analysts inform Fox News Digital that omitting a defendant’s testimony is not always a beneficial strategy.
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Karen Read and John O’Keefe in an undated photo. (Karen Read)
Gelormino believes Read could perform well on the witness stand, but testifying carries inherent risks.
“I think the reason they’re opting not to have her testify is likely to avoid her having to explain the various videos that showed her in less than favorable circumstances,” Gelormino remarked.
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Karen Read converses with her attorneys Robert Alessi and David Yannetti during the trial at Norfolk Superior Court on May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
Special prosecutor Hank Brennan showcased several clips from Read’s televised interviews, highlighting segments that could potentially undermine the defense.
“I also wonder if I said, ‘could I have hit him,’” Read remarked during a 2024 interview with Investigation Discovery. “Or was I told that I said I hit him? I knew I wouldn’t have said something like that, so perhaps what I meant was, ‘did I hit him?’”
In that clip, Read contemplates whether she “really [said] it as many times as law enforcement claims.”
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In another segment, she mentioned adding extra shots to her drinks because they weren’t strong enough.
Gelormino stated that the defense likely aims to protect Read from facing cross-examination regarding her remarks, which could lead to prolonged and difficult questioning from the prosecution.
“They probably wish to prevent her from defending behaviors that could be construed negatively,” Gelormino noted.
Nevertheless, not having Read testify might prevent her from clarifying her statements in the interviews and allowing her to tell her side of the narrative.
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Prosecutor Hank Brennan questions a witness during the Karen Read murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
“There are always two sides to every story,” Gelormino explained to Fox News Digital. “You can have her testify to clarify things, or you may choose to sidestep the issue altogether.”
He pointed out that Read might come off as defensive while trying to clarify her statements on camera, which could alter the jury’s view of her character.
“As a defense attorney, you’ll need to manage that,” Gelormino mentioned. “You would spend considerable time defending her character in that situation.”
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Karen Read arrives at court on the 22nd day of her murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, on May 28, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
The inclusion of these videos presents a new challenge for the defense since they were not shown in Read’s previous trial last year.
“The first jury nearly convicted Read of manslaughter while under the influence, and that was without any video statements from the defendant,” said retired Massachusetts Superior Court Judge and Boston College law professor Jack Lu to Fox News Digital. “Now, there are numerous damaging statements, along with potentially more in rebuttal.”
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Lu noted that the defense has not yet addressed the video clips or provided context for Read’s recounting of events at this stage of the trial.
“So, facing the same trial with damaging video evidence after nearly reaching a conviction previously poses significant risks for the defense,” Lu advised.
As the defense continues to present witnesses, the notable absence of Read’s testimony will likely be profoundly felt when the jury delivers its verdict, with the prosecution being the only party to incorporate her own words into the case.
“Given that they had a hung jury last time, [the defense has] a reasonable case,” Gelormino informed Fox News Digital. “But do you really want to jeopardize that by making her explain her actions and character for several days on the stand? That’s a tough call.”
