Judge Protects Jury List as Canton Residents Fear Retaliation Over Karen Read Case

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Karen Read, who stands accused of running over her boyfriend, John O'Keefe, in January 2022, will now face a new trial on January 27, 2025. And, just last week, the judge announced that the jury list for the Karen Read trial will remain confidential after some jurors expressed concerns for their safety. This development comes amid growing anxiety in Canton, where residents claim they are being targeted for speaking out about the case.
Brenda Sweeney and her husband recently discovered that a significant portion of their vegetable and flower garden was dying unexpectedly. “So the leaves would get spots on them and then they would shrivel up,” Sweeney explained. “And as he was pulling out the plants, he noticed the smell of bleach.”
Sweeney, along with other Canton residents, believes they have been targeted for their support of Karen Read. Another resident, Rita Lombardi, reported similar damage to her yard.
“You could see the trajectory of the splatter, so they threw the balloons and you could see the splatter of the liquid and that’s where it burned,” said Lombardi. She found broken balloons in her yard, and a neighbor discovered a bag of balloons down the street. The residents suspect that the balloons were filled with bleach and thrown onto their properties.
“In Canton you’re not supposed to talk about these things, so they’re trying to silence us,” Lombardi remarked. Both Lombardi and Sweeney have been vocal at town meetings, questioning the handling of the Karen Read murder case, and now they are beginning to fear for their safety. “You have to worry about these things, where I never ever would have thought about them before,” Sweeney added.
Sweeney expressed her distress, particularly since she usually shares a lot of her vegetables with her neighbors. Her biggest concern, however, is for the young children who frequently visit her garden. “And they love all these figurines, they touch them, they talk to them, they pat them and these people are throwing bleach on them,” she said.
Both Lombardi and Sweeney have filed police reports regarding the damage to their properties. Canton Police Chief Helena Rafferty addressed the situation in a statement:
“I am aware of the allegations and have corresponded with the residents personally. Any type of act in this community, or any community for that matter, that places another in fear for their safety and/or diminishes their quality of life is unacceptable. All evidentiary items recovered, that can be processed, were transported to Plymouth County BCI yesterday. We are hopeful that we will be able to identify exactly what type of liquid was in the balloons etc.”
The ongoing tension in Canton highlights the broader implications of the Karen Read case, as residents who voice their opinions find themselves facing potential retaliation. With the new trial set for January 27, 2025, and the defense’s motion to dismiss charges scheduled for a hearing on August 9, the community remains on edge, awaiting further developments in this high-profile case.
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