Local News

Her trial date less than two weeks away, Karen Read’s controversial murder case loomed large over Canton’s municipal election Tuesday.

This week’s municipal election was something of a referendum for voters in Canton, where the controversial Karen Read murder case has opened neighborhood rifts and sowed residents’ mistrust in local government and law enforcement. 

Several candidates had been outspoken about Read’s case leading up to Tuesday’s election, some casting doubt on the Mansfield woman’s alleged role in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

Read, 44, is accused of backing her SUV into O’Keefe and leaving him for dead outside a home in Canton in January 2022. However, her lawyers say she was framed in a widespread conspiracy among witnesses and law enforcement. 

According to The Boston Globe, the group of Read supporters on Tuesday’s ballot included Select Board candidates Rita Lombardi and Trish Boyden, School Committee candidate Jennifer O’Donnell, and Board of Assessors candidate Kathleen Howley. 

Boyden was the top vote-getter in the race for two Select Board seats, taking on incumbents ​​Michael Loughran Jr. and Thomas Theodore. Boyden and Loughran both won three-year terms, garnering 3,223 votes and 2,917 votes, respectively. 

Lombardi came in third with 2,736 votes, failing to secure a seat, and incumbent Theodore — the board’s former chair — lost his seat with a final tally of 2,621 votes. 

“I am so honored to serve you on the Select Board,” Boyden wrote in a statement posted to Facebook Tuesday. 

“I’m excited to work with all the Select Board members,” she added. “I’ll have much more to say soon. But for now, I’m grateful for all of you that showed up for change. Now, let’s move Canton forward!”

School Committee Chair Kendall O’Halloran fended off a challenge from O’Donnell by a vote of 3,512 to 2,061. Meanwhile, Board of Assessors member Rocco Digirolamo beat out challenger Howley with 2,999 votes to her 2,744.

Read’s high-profile case heads to trial on April 16.