Beverly J. Cannone

Judge Beverly J. Cannone of Norfolk County Superior Court presided over one of the most high-profile Massachusetts criminal cases in recent memory, steering both trials through complex evidentiary disputes, expert witness challenges, and intense public scrutiny. In Trial 1, she denied a March 2024 defense motion to dismiss despite argued conflicts of interest, allowed the defense to develop its third-party culprit theory through evidence while barring it from opening statements, and ultimately declared a mistrial on July 1, 2024 after the jury deadlocked. In Trial 2, which concluded with Karen Read acquitted on all three major charges and convicted only of operating under the influence, Judge Cannone again managed a sprawling evidentiary record and contentious pretrial and mid-trial motions over expert testimony and discovery compliance.