DEDHAM — Three weeks after a mistrial, Karen Read learned Monday that she can expect to stand trial again in January on charges related to the death of her boyfriend in a highly publicized murder case that maintained its frenzied atmosphere as throngs of Read supporters and counterprotesters rallied outside Norfolk Superior Court.
Read, 44, of Mansfield, appeared in court for a brief status conference, where Judge Beverly J. Cannone scheduled her retrial for Jan. 27. The judge also scheduled an Aug. 9 hearing for a defense motion to dismiss two of the charges against Read in the death of her boyfriend, Boston police Officer John O’Keefe, though the judge acknowledged lawyers will likely file a series of appeals in the coming months.
Cannone declared a mistrial on July 1 after jurors said they remained deadlocked following several days of deliberations. Read’s trial had lasted more than two months, and, driven by dueling narratives over the death of a police officer and allegations of a wide-ranging coverup by police, the proceedings attracted intense local and national media coverage as well as dozens of pink-clad Read supporters demonstrating outside the Dedham courthouse every day.
Monday afternoon’s hearing was the first since the mistrial, and the appearance lasted only about 10 minutes in a small side courtroom. The Aug. 9 hearing will be for oral arguments on the defense’s motion.
“I assume whatever I do on the motion to dismiss will be appealed,” Cannone said.
Read, a financial analyst and adjunct professor, has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of a death.
The current defense motion is to dismiss the counts of murder and leaving the scene. Read’s lawyers assert in court filings that five jurors have told them, either directly or through intermediaries, that the jury unanimously agreed to acquit on those two charges and only remained divided on manslaughter. Therefore, the defense argues, the judge should throw those charges out, because otherwise Read would be charged twice with the same crimes, they say.
Prosecutors say the motion is without legal merit and should be rejected because no verdict was delivered in open court.
Prosecutors allege Read drunkenly and intentionally backed her Lexus SUV into O’Keefe early on Jan. 29, 2022, after dropping him off outside a Canton home following a night of barhopping. The Norfolk district attorney’s office elicited testimony that the pair’s relationship had been on the rocks and that several first responders claimed Read had said, “I hit him,” after discovering O’Keefe’s body in the snow several hours later.
Read’s attorneys say she was framed. They claim that O’Keefe entered the residence, owned at the time by fellow Boston police Officer Brian Albert, and that people inside beat O’Keefe and dumped his body on the front lawn. Her lawyers focused on what they characterized as a sloppy police investigation, what they claimed were shifting stories of people gathering in the home, and crude and unprofessional texts from the lead investigator in the case about Read, with the suggestion that police had sought to pin the killing on her from the start.
That investigator, State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, has been suspended without pay as he awaits disciplinary proceedings.
The Read supporters showed up again by the dozens on Monday, invigorated by the new defense claims that Cannone’s mistrial declaration had denied justice. The crowd’s signs reflected the development, with messages such as, “Double jeopardy isn’t a game show.”
Now free of the 200-foot buffer zone for demonstrators that Cannone imposed around the courthouse during the trial, Read’s supporters packed the sidewalks right out front, face to face with blue-clad counterprotesters who said they’re friends and family of the victim and witnesses.
As the 2 p.m. hearing approached, the tension began to grow. Each side hurled meme-style slogans at each other and played songs with lyrics specifically tailored to their cause: a country-rock “Free Karen Read” anthem blared over a speaker at the same time a reggae-style tune played through a megaphone declaring “Karen Read is guilty.”
Aidan Kearney, the blogger known as “Turtleboy” who’s a strong supporter of Read — and has pleaded not guilty to charges of witness intimidation in connection with his advocacy for her — rallied the pink-clad crowd by running through some of the splashiest defense claims: that O’Keefe entered the home, that someone at the home Google searched for how long it would take for someone to die in the cold before Read found the body, that O’Keefe suffered what appeared to be bite marks from a dog, and that the Alberts’ dog suspiciously went missing.
The Read opponents countered with chants of “I hit him,” echoing the testimony about Read, as well as a Trump-style mantra of “Lock her up.”
Both the Read supporters and counterprotesters sought to assert themselves as the real proponents of support for law enforcement and justice for O’Keefe. The anti-Read crowd displayed a “Blue Lives Matter” flag, and a Read supporter held a sign that read, “We support the blue, just not the corrupt blue.” Each side also waved American flags in the colors of their cause.
Members of the counterprotest read a statement that said all the key evidence points to Read and that, along the way, “Innocent lives have been ruined” amid the public scrutiny and allegations of a coverup.
“It’s just a shame,” said Polly Weeks of Norfolk, clad in a blue T-shirt that featured O’Keefe’s name and badge number, the same article of clothing many of her compatriots wore.
Down the sidewalk in a pink dress, Tania Nenkova of Taunton held two signs outlining what she sees as malfeasance by members of law enforcement and reading, “Time to clean the state.” She and others supporting Read said they continue to seek accountability for what they see as corruption surrounding the investigation into O’Keefe’s death.
“There’s no winners here,” she said.
Globe correspondent Izzy Bryars contributed to this report.
Sean Cotter can be reached at sean.cotter@globe.com. Follow him @cotterreporter. Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.