Nearly a year after her first trial ended with a deadlocked jury, Massachusetts native is back in court facing second-degree murder charges in the death of her boyfriend, John O’Keefe. As Read’s retrial continues, takes a look at the differences and how the case has shifted this time around as part of In Touch Investigates, a new true crime video series.

Prosecutors claim that Read, 45, backed her Lexus SUV into O’Keefe, 46, during a drunken rage in January 2022 and left him to die in the snow. However, Read’s defense team paints a different picture for the jury.

The defense claims that Read is innocent and being framed by police in order to cover up the fact that O’Keefe was allegedly involved in a fight inside a house full of drunk police officers on the night of his death. Read’s legal team alleges that O’Keefe’s body was moved into the snowbank and set up to make it look like Read had hit him with her car.

The police have denied any wrongdoing in the case.

, a reporter for In Touch Weekly who’s been closely covering Read’s case, speaks with Thorne about the trial and reveals one of the biggest bombshells in the case so far.

“I think what’s interesting this time around is we are seeing that there’s so many things that were left out of the first trial, some of the videos of the security footage. You’re having police officers testify that they never asked for security footage from the neighbors. Why was that?” Bruno says. “We’re having a bunch of new witnesses testify. We are having just so much more information I feel like is coming out of this one.”

She continues, “I think the biggest thing is the medical examiner admitting that his injuries were not conclusive with being hit by a truck. Every day that there’s a day in court, something new is coming out that people are honestly shocked about.”

As for whether there’s a difference in Read’s demeanor this time around, Bruno says that the former adjunct professor at Bentley University is actually “coming out a little cocky at times.”

“I think in the very beginning of this retrial, she told reporters we know who did it. So that’s not the best look,” Bruno adds. “However, I think she is very confident that they are going to win this, but I don’t think comments like that are helping her. And is it totally different? No, I do think she was kind of like that the first time around. I think she really, that’s why she did the HBO docuseries. I really did not think she thought this was going to be a hung jury. So, she’s a little different, more confident. But I do think she kind of had that personality back in the first time around as well.”

Read’s trial has much of the country mesmerized and Bruno chalks that up to the fact that the case revolves around a “gossipy drama story.” However, that’s not the only aspect that’s drawn the public in.

“There’s so many elements, right? There’s the toxic relationship between John O’Keefe and Karen Reed,” Bruno shares. “But then also it’s, I don’t want to say it’s a known thing, but we know that police officers have each other’s back, and then here it is, a woman that they’re really trying to lock her up for something she potentially didn’t do, just to save each other.”