A judge postponed the wrongful death case against Karen Read until the end of her criminal trial

BOSTON — A judge ruled Thursday that Karen Read won’t have to testify in her wrongful death case until after her criminal trial in January.

Judge William M. White Jr.’s brief Thursday effectively delays the case that holds Read responsible for the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe. The lawsuit also cites negligence on the part of bars that continued to serve him alcohol despite signs that he was drunk.

Read has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting retrial on charges of second-degree murder, DUI manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. The two-month criminal trial ended in July when the judge declared a mistrial after jurors said they were deadlocked. The judge rejected claims that jurors later said they unanimously agreed Read was not guilty of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of the crime charges.

Read appealed the decision to the state’s highest court. Next week, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court will hear his motion to dismiss the two charges.

Read’s attorneys had filed a motion to delay a hearing in the case, arguing that the criminal trial would negatively impact Read’s Fifth Amendment rights and his ability to vigorously defend himself against criminal prosecution.

Read is accused of hitting O’Keefe with his SUV and leaving him for dead during a January 2022 snowstorm. The second hearing is planned to be held on January 27.

But a lawyer for O’Keefe’s brother Paul and other relatives who filed the wrongful death lawsuit opposes any delay. They argued that his reliance on the Fifth Amendment ignored the fact that he had spoken publicly to the media about his case several times and that he would be the subject of at least one upcoming documentary.

After barhopping, Read, a former assistant professor at Bentley College, dropped off O’Keefe, a 16-year member of the Boston Police Department, in front of another officer’s home in Canton. His body was found in the front yard. An autopsy revealed O’Keefe died from hypothermia and blunt force trauma.

Read’s lawyers argued that O’Keefe was killed in the home and that those involved chose to blame him because he was a “convenient stranger.”