Northeast
Karen Read sells home and taps retirement fund to pay mounting legal bills in murder retrial
As murder defendant Karen Read rounds the corner on the halfway point of her second trial, the crippling weight of unpaid legal bills could be alleviated by an unlikely source: online crowdfunding.
Months before her retrial was set to begin, Read told Vanity Fair she owes her defense team over $5 million in legal fees – a total that is likely growing with the addition of two new attorneys.
“Other than feeling wrongfully persecuted and prosecuted, I feel incredibly violated,” Read said in the Vanity Fair interview, adding, “If I can get the entire truth of this case out in the public forum, that, to me, is priceless.”
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Karen Read listens to witness Jessica Hyde during her murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Read pleaded not guilty and is facing the possibility of life in prison for the alleged murder of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe. She is accused of ramming O’Keefe with her vehicle during a drunken argument before leaving him to freeze to death in the front yard of a fellow police officer’s home in the early morning hours of Jan. 29, 2022.
Read’s defense team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Last year, Norfolk County Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone declared a mistrial after the jury was unable to reach a verdict, setting the stage for a costly redo for Read.
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Karen Read, center, and her legal team arrive at Norfolk County Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, on April 25, 2025. (David McGlynn for Fox News Digital)
Since her first trial, Read’s defense team has introduced two new players, with attorneys Robert Alessi and Victoria George joining Alan Jackson, David Yannetti and Elizabeth Little.
To help subsidize her expenses, Read reportedly sold her Mansfield home for $810,000 in November 2024 and is living off of her 401(k) retirement fund after losing her jobs as a Bentley University finance professor and Fidelity Investments equities analyst following her arrest.
In addition to turning to her equity, numerous crowdfunding sites have been kick-started to help Read chip away at her legal fees – a common tactic used in high-profile court cases where bills could rise into the seven figures.
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Karen Read smiles as defense attorney David Yannetti speaks to reporters in front of Norfolk Superior Court after the judge declared a mistrial, July 1, 2024 in Dedham, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
“There are many examples of high-profile defendants paying out-of-pocket for their defense,” criminal defense attorney Andrew Stoltmann told Fox News Digital. “O.J. Simpson is the classic example. But it is surprising when high-profile, non-wealthy individuals pay out-of-pocket for their entire defense.”
A Justice for Karen Read legal defense fund, organized by Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP, is closing in on $1 million raised, with donations continuing to pour in as Read’s second trial wraps up its fourth week.
“Keep fighting,” one anonymous donor wrote. “I believe in Karen’s innocence and grateful she has an amazing team defending her.”
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Werksman Jackson & Quinn did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Additionally, the Free Karen Read Movement has launched a website selling sweatshirts, T-shirts and other apparel in support of Read, while advocating for her innocence.
Earlier this month, supporters hosted a ticketed dinner party in a nearby town to raise money for Read. Seats were priced at $100 and included a live DJ, raffle and cash bar.
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Karen Read talks with her attorneys, Robert Alessi and David Yannetti, right, during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool)
The event organizers did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
While turning to public methods as a way to bankroll legal funds increases, experts caution the charity could come with strings attached.
“A third-party funding source is both a blessing and a curse,” Stoltmann said. “They can provide necessary funds to put on a top-flight defense, but they also tend to have a disproportionate amount of sway with the attorneys since the bills are being paid by the third party. It’s an ethical quagmire for the attorneys on cases.”
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Read’s defense team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on whether she plans to accept the funds.
In light of the hefty price tag for legal representation, it is not uncommon for attorneys to take on high-profile cases for a reduced rate in exchange for publicity.
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“Many criminal defense lawyers will take a case pro bono or at a severely discounted rate if it’s a high-profile case and there’s a great deal of news and television coverage,” Stoltmann told Fox News Digital. “This often leads to a tsunami of new clients coming in the door for years after the trial takes place. This might be what’s happening in Karen Read’s case.”
While Read’s fate remains in the hands of the jury, her chance to maintain her freedom – and clear her name – continues to come at an incredibly high cost.
“I’m not backing down now,” Read told Vanity Fair. “As scary as a potential conviction is, I will go to jail for something I didn’t do before I plea out. I will never give them that win.”
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What are the Red Sox going to do with Patrick Sandoval?
The veteran left-hander has yet to appear in a big league game for the Red Sox, having missed his first season and a half with the organization while working his way back from Tommy John surgery. But after a deliberate ramp up throughout the spring and then an April setback Sandoval is now nearing a return to the big league roster.
Sandoval made the fifth start of his current rehab assignment Sunday for the WooSox, allowing one run over four innings on three hits, a walk and three strikeouts. He threw 60 pitches, a slight uptick from the 53 he threw over 3 1/3 innings his last time out on Tuesday.
Under MLB rules rehab assignments for a pitcher can last up to 30 days, which means there’s only enough time for Sandoval to make one more start before the Red Sox would have to either activate him or designate him for assignment. Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said Sandoval might make one more start in the minors, but he acknowledged a decision will have to be made soon.
“There’s still room to get the count built up some more,” Tracy said. “He got to 60 today and there’s probably room for another one to get it further and then we have to have a conversation after that.”
The Red Sox likely won’t want to lose Sandoval, but how he fits in roster-wise is tricky. The Red Sox starting rotation has been on a roll recently, and the most likely candidate to be optioned is rookie left-hander Jake Bennett, who has pitched brilliantly since coming up to fill Brayan Bello’s spot.
Boston could also insert Sandoval into the bullpen, but the Red Sox are likely about to get fellow left-hander Jovani Moran back off the injured list, and long reliever Ryan Watson can’t be optioned as a Rule 5 pick without being DFA’d himself.
Tracy said those will be issues the Red Sox will have to sort out, but noted that these sorts of logjams often have a way of working themselves out.
“Having depth is a good thing and it’s been tested for us, we had depth when Brayan went down and you know he’s down there and he’s got a specific purpose and mind of trying to get it right, well we’re kind of out of starting depth,” Tracy said. “So getting Sandy helps us in that way, but what we’re going to do yet we haven’t gotten that deep into it but obviously it’s looming.”
Extra innings
Left-hander Jovani Moran (left elbow inflammation) made his second rehab appearance for the WooSox on Sunday, retiring all six batters he faced on just 14 pitches over two perfect innings. Tracy said the club hasn’t decided if Moran will need another rehab outing before he’s activated. … Tracy said shortstop Trevor Story (sports hernia) is continuing to make progress but likely won’t start a rehab assignment before the All-Star break. … Right-hander Kutter Crawford (right wrist surgery recovery) is in the early stages of his throwing program in Fort Myers but remains a long way off from a return.
The Cincinnati Reds are in a rain delay for the second consecutive day. Saturday’s rain delay came before the game even started. Sunday’s rain delay occurred in the bottom of the 8th inning.
“The tarp is on the field, and we are in a delay here at PNC,” the Pirates official account posted on X. “We’ll update when we have info.”
Update: The grounds crew is taking the tarp off the field and the game is expected to resume around 5:20 ET.
The Pittsburgh Pirates lead the Reds 5-4 in the 8th.
Let’s take a look at how we got there.
Game Recap
In the second inning, Esmerlyn Valdez hit a ground-rule double off Reds starting pitcher Brady Singer that scored Nick Gonzalez, giving the Pirates an early 1-0 lead.
Later in the inning, former Red Tyler Callihan hit his third home run of the year, giving Pittsburgh a 4-0 lead.
However, in the fourth, the Reds would battle back. After Elly De La Cruz reached on an error and Sal Stewart singled, JJ Bleday added a single of his own that would score both, making it a 4-2 Pittsburgh advantage.
The Reds continued to rally in the fifth. After Noelvi Marte walked, Tyler Stephenson stayed hot with an RBI double to left field, getting the Reds back within a run.
Edwin Arroyo followed with an RBI single of his own that tied the game at 4.
The Pirates got a run back in the bottom half of the fifth when Ryan O’Hearn hit his 12th home run of the season. That would be it for Singer, who gave up five runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out six and did not walk a batter.
The Pirates had a big opportunity to break the game wide open in the seventh when Zach McCambley walked the bases loaded. Reds manager Terry Francona brought in Brock Burke, who was miraculously able to get out of the jam with a pop-up and an inning-ending double play.
The Reds had a big chance to tie the game in the 8th when they had runners on first and second with nobody out. However, Nathaniel Lowe popped out, Spencer Steer flew out, and Noelvi Marte grounded out to end the threat.
Pierce Johnson was set to come in the game for the Reds when the game entered a rain delay.
We will provide an update as we know more.
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WALLINGFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – The Connecticut Department of Transportation is marking two years since the death of Andrew DiDomenico, a DOT worker killed in a work zone crash on June 28, 2024, in Wallingford.
DiDomenico, 26, of Meriden, was struck and killed while working along the shoulder of the Wharton Brook Connector of Interstate 91.
Denise Lucibello, 55, of East Haven, was driving under the influence when her vehicle left the roadway and struck him, according to the state’s attorney’s office.
Lucibello was sentenced to 10 years in prison, execution suspended after five years served, followed by five years of probation. She pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and operating a motor vehicle under the influence.
“The defendant chose to drive under the influence and because of that choice, a young life full of promise was senselessly taken,” State’s Attorney John P. Doyle Jr. said.
DiDomenico’s family started the Andrew DiDomenico Memorial Foundation to honor his legacy and provide scholarships and donations in his name.
CT DOT continues to remind drivers to keep others in mind on the road and themselves.
“Roadside workers put themselves at risk every time they step onto a job site, and it’s on all of us to keep them safe. Drive sober, put the phone away, and slow down and move over in work zones. Lives depend on it.”
Copyright 2026 WFSB. All rights reserved.
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