Jury selection for Karen Read retrial complete after 10 days
Jury selection for Karen Read 's second trial is finally complete, with two more jurors being selected Tuesday and 18 jurors in place for the retrial.
The jury comprises nine men and nine women, a court spokesperson confirmed.
The painstaking process saw nearly 600 people — 591 in all — questioned for service in the Read case across 10 full days. With jury selection completed, Read's second trial will get underway in earnest on April 22 with opening statements.
The selection process for Read's first trial took five days . Selection for the second trial took twice as long.
Leaving court Tuesday, Read said she was pleased with the process.
"They're truthful, they were questioned thoroughly," she said of the 18 jurors, adding her defense was "ready to get this show on the road."
A motion hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday.
The goal for jury selection initially was to seat 16 jurors, but the number was hiked to 18 at some point in the process. Only 12 of the eventual 18 will deliberate the case, with the remainder serving as alternates. Deliberating jurors won't be picked until the final day of the trial.
Read, 45, is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident causing injury or death in connection with O'Keefe's death.
Read's defense claims she is being framed and others are responsible for O'Keefe's death .
