Both sides of the Karen Read murder case will return to Norfolk Superior Court on Monday as the jury selection process continues — a day before opening statements are expected to begin.
After taking Friday off, Monday will mark the ninth day of jury selection. So far, the court has seen 481 prospective jurors.
Sixteen have been chosen to serve so far — but given the nature of this case, both sides want to add at least two more people. Eight men and eight women have been seated.
NBC10 Boston legal analyst Michael Coyne found the new target prudent: “I would be more cautious when empaneling this jury because of the problems I think we’re going to find, because of the extensive media. I would be more comfortable with 18, maybe 19, even as many as 20.”
As Karen Read’s second trial gets underway, she compares her case to O.J. Simpson’s in a new Vanity Fair interview. We analyze the similarities and differences.
Nearly 90% of the nearly 500 prospective jurors said that they knew of the case.
All the jurors selected will listen to the testimony, but only 12 will be chosen to deliberate at the end of the trial. The rest will serves as alternates, replacing the regular jurors if any problem pops up, which does tend to happen, according to Coyne.
“They’re just naturally going to lose some in a long trial. You always lose some to medical emergency or employment issues,” he said.
While the jury selection process is ongoing inside the courtroom, demonstrators will need to adhere to the buffer zone put in place surrounding the courthouse. A federal judge ruled that the buffer zone is fair game, after four Karen Read supporters sued Judge Beverly Cannone — alleging that the buffer zone infringes on their first amendment rights.
