Well-known Boston attorney Hank Brennan, a veteran criminal defense attorney whose clients include James “Whitey” Bulger, has been appointed as special assistant district attorney to lead the prosecution team in Karen Read’s retrial in Norfolk Superior Court in January, authorities said Wednesday.
“Attorney Brennan is a highly respected and experienced former prosecutor and longtime criminal defense attorney with over 25 years of experience in state and federal court and is experienced in handling complex criminal prosecution matters,” District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey said in a statement announcing the appointment. “I look forward to Attorney Brennan working with the trial team of Assistant District Attorneys Adam Lally, Laura McLaughlin and Caleb Schillinger.”
Brennan said in the statement that Read, 44, of Mansfield, will receive a fair trial when she returns to court to face charges of first-degree murder, among others, for allegedly driving her SUV into her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, and leaving him dying outside a Canton home in the early morning of Jan. 29, 2022, after a night of bar-hopping and heavy drinking.
Read is also charged with manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of a crime. And Death.
Read’s lawyers say she was framed and that O’Keefe broke into the home, which belonged to another Boston police officer at the time, where he was beaten in the basement and his body dumped on the front lawn. Read’s first trial ended in a miscarriage of justice in July after jurors said they were still unable to reach a decision after several days of deliberations.
“I accept full responsibility and all obligations for the prosecution of this case and will do so diligently, ethically and zealously, without compromise,” Brennan said. “I have two core obligations. The first is to ensure that Karen Read receives a fair trial. Ms. Read will experience the dignity and fairness that every defendant deserves in our criminal justice system. The second is to ensure that the facts surrounding John O’Keefe’s death are fully and fairly presented in the courtroom without outside influence. I guarantee that I will work tirelessly with the trial team to prepare this case for trial in January 2025.”
The statement did not specify how much Brennan will be paid for his services.
O’Keefe’s family has also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Read in Plymouth Superior Court.
Brennan was formerly a prosecutor in Essex and Suffolk counties before entering private practice, the Globe reported in 2013. At the time, he was one of the lawyers representing Bulger in his organized crime trial in federal court. Bulger was sentenced to life in prison and slain in a federal prison in West Virginia in 2018.
Travis Andersen can be reached at [email protected].
