The retrial of Karen Read, accused of killing her police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe in 2022, begins Tuesday amid a deeply divided community.

Read, 45, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and leaving the scene of a fatal crash.

Prosecutors claim she drunkenly struck O’Keefe with her SUV and left him to die in the snow, while her defense alleges a police cover-up, arguing O’Keefe was killed inside a fellow officer’s home and Read was framed.

Her first trial ended in a mistrial after a jury deadlocked.

The case was marred by investigative misconduct, including offensive texts from a now-fired state trooper, CNN has reported.

Despite an appeal arguing double jeopardy, Read faces a full retrial, with jury selection expected to be particularly challenging given the high-profile nature of the case and passionate public support on both sides.

Written by B.C. Begley