BOSTON — On Tuesday, attorneys representing Karen Read submitted a request to a federal judge seeking to halt her upcoming retrial connected to the death of her boyfriend, who was a Boston police officer.

Read is facing serious allegations, including the accusation that she deliberately struck John O’Keefe with her SUV and abandoned him in a snowstorm back in January 2022. She is set to go to trial again in April on charges that include second-degree murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene of an incident.

The legal team for Read contends that she has been falsely accused in an effort to shield other law enforcement personnel linked to O’Keefe’s death. Following a mistrial that occurred in June, they have been actively attempting to prevent a second trial, particularly pointing to juror feedback indicating they were only unable to reach a decision regarding the manslaughter charge.

Recently, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court granted approval for a retrial on all three charges. Despite this, Read’s legal representatives filed a motion in federal court on Tuesday claiming that proceeding with the retrial would breach her constitutional right against being tried twice for the same offense, known as double jeopardy.

In response to this motion, a federal judge has instructed the state to provide a reply by February 26 and has arranged for a hearing on March 5.