A Massachusetts attorney who served as an alternate juror in the mistrial of Karen Read last year has joined her defense just days before she’s scheduled to be tried for a second time on murder charges in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

Victoria George filed a notice of appearance for Read’s defense on Wednesday, court records show. 

She is a Princeton alumna who graduated from law school at Northeastern University in 2020, according to her LinkedIn profile, and she said in a recent interview that the first trial shook her faith in Massachusetts’ criminal justice system.

Karen Read smiles as defense attorney David Yannett speaks to reporters in front of Norfolk Superior Court after the judge declared a mistrial after jurors were unable to reach a verdict following a two-month trial, Monday, July 1, 2024, in Dedham, Mass.  (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

David Gelman, a Philadelphia-area defense attorney and former prosecutor, said this is the first case he is aware of where a former juror joined the defense ahead of a second trial. It’s also a good sign for Read’s defense, he said.

“Usually retrials don’t go well – that’s why a hung jury is a win for defendants,” he told Fox News Digital. “Since the last case, you have an officer involved who has been terminated for bad conduct, evidence will be suppressed that would benefit the prosecutor, and there is more media attention that makes Read look better. The prosecutor has screwed the pooch.”

Read’s new trial is scheduled to begin Tuesday. This time around, it will be tried by a special prosecutor, Hank Brennan, who previously defended the mobster Whitey Bulger.

O’Keefe’s family has also named Read in a wrongful death lawsuit.