Karen Read appeared in court Wednesday as lawyers from both sides of the aisle requested that her retrial for the alleged murder of her police officer boyfriend be delayed until April – with prosecutors arguing they intended to “significantly” reduce the number of witnesses during this go-around.

“This will allow me, when I evaluate this case, which I am still doing, to significantly reduce the list of witnesses,” special prosecutor Hank Brennan – whose previous clients include the Boston mobster – told the court Whitey Bulger. arguments, the Boston Globe reported.

Read’s first trial in the 2022 death of Boston cop John O’Keefe dragged on for two grueling months, with 74 witnesses called for lengthy rounds of cross-examination. Brennan, who was assigned to the case in September, said more time would also allow him to better prepare to keep the trial speedy and efficient.

“I’m new to this. I’m not looking for a personal accommodation, but I think the idea of ​​a motion to continue, a joint application, is in the interests not only of justice, but I think — inevitably — I sincerely believe that it will have a more effective effect. and an effective trial,” he said, according to WCVB.

Read’s first trial ended with a deadlocked jury and a mistrial in July, with the retrial currently scheduled for January. His lawyer agreed with prosecutors’ request for a delay, explaining that they would also like to have until April to evaluate a new analysis of the evidence.

Read showed up to court Wednesday in her usual style, sporting a plaid knit dress from Theory worth about $400 as she sat attentively while attorneys argued their side.

Judge Beverly Cannone did not make a decision on the postponement motions, but scheduled two new hearings for November 26 and December 12.

Next November’s hearing will focus on lawsuit requests over the phone records, while December’s hearing will address the prospect of a reappearance by a dog bite expert who previously said O’Keefe appeared having been mauled by a dog before his death.

That story was central to the defense’s explanation of the events leading up to O’Keefe’s death on Jan. 29, 2022. They argued that the Boston cop was not killed by Read — but had instead been beaten to death by his cop friends during a session. some sort of drunken brawl, then left in the snow with Read scapegoated as the killer.

Judge Cannon also ruled in favor of allowing a new prosecution expert to test data from Karen Read’s SUV – which the state argued she used to run over O’Keefe , leaving him to die in a snowbank – while giving the defense five days to find their own expert to evaluate the evidence.

Read also hopes she could avoid a second murder trial altogether, while the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is still ruling on a request to drop murder and fleeing the scene of an accident charges.

Her lawyers said many jurors came forward to say they unanimously cleared her of those charges and were only able to reach a decision on manslaughter – but that they had misunderstood the legal process and that a trial was canceled before they could explain their position.

Judge Cannone had previously denied this request.