BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts district attorney on Wednesday appointed a special prosecutor, who has represented James “Whitey” Bulger and other prominent clients in the past, to take on the Karen Read murder case.
Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey said in a statement that Hank Brennan will lead the state’s retrial in January. A former prosecutor and defense attorney, Morrissey said Brennan has worked for 25 years in state and federal courts and and has experience “with complex law enforcement matters.”
Read, 44, is accused of ramming into John O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving him for dead in a January 2022 snowstorm. Her two-month trial ended in July when a judge declared a mistrial and a second trial is scheduled for January.
“I assume full responsibility and all obligations for prosecuting this case and will do so meticulously, ethically and zealously, without compromise,” Brennan, who has the title of special assistant district attorney, said in a statement. “I have two core obligations. The first is to make certain the Karen Read receives a fair trial … The second is to ensure that the facts surrounding John O’Keefe’s death are fully fairly aired in the courtroom without outside influence.”