kelsey fitzsimmons is set to have her assault case decided by a Massachusetts judge after waiving her right to a jury trial, shifting the legal fight into a faster, more judge-centered format as the proceeding approaches in Lawrence Superior Court.
What Happens When Kelsey Fitzsimmons waives a jury and chooses a judge as factfinder?
North Andover police officer Kelsey Fitzsimmons will stand trial before Lawrence Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Karp in a bench trial that is expected to last less than a week. The trial is expected to begin Monday at 9 a. m. ET, with the court anticipating the matter will likely be over before the week ends.
The change came after jury selection had been scheduled to begin Monday. Instead, during a Wednesday hearing, Judge Karp accepted Kelsey Fitzsimmons’ decision to waive a jury. Kelsey Fitzsimmons took the stand and was questioned by the judge to confirm she understood the implications of the choice. After that process, the prosecution did not oppose the move and the judge accepted it.
Outside of court, Kelsey Fitzsimmons described the decision as intentional and tied to how she wants the facts evaluated, saying she chose the judge to be the factfinder and that she believes it makes the most sense in her case. She also said she is eager for the process to move forward and reiterated her view that the truth will come out.
What If the charge and central dispute define the entire week in court?
Kelsey Fitzsimmons is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon. Prosecutors allege that on June 30, 2025, North Andover police officers were serving a restraining order against Kelsey Fitzsimmons from her then fiancé. Prosecutors also allege that an officer planned to take custody of Kelsey Fitzsimmons’ son, who was four months old at the time.
In the prosecution’s account, Kelsey Fitzsimmons allegedly pulled out her service weapon and pointed it at a fellow officer, who then shot her in self-defense. Kelsey Fitzsimmons was hospitalized for weeks with a collapsed lung before she was eventually released.
Kelsey Fitzsimmons has argued that she pointed the gun at herself, not at anyone else, and that she was suffering from postpartum depression. In court filings and through her attorney in court, she has maintained she had no intention of harming the alleged victim and was instead planning to use the gun on herself.
With the case now set for a judge to decide, the week is poised to revolve around sharply competing interpretations of the same critical moments: what Kelsey Fitzsimmons did with the service weapon, what she intended, and what prompted the officer to fire.
What Happens When bench-trial dynamics reshape pace, focus, and perceived advantages?
Legal analyst Jennifer Roman described two practical themes that often separate bench trials from jury trials. First is speed: bench trials can move faster because there is no need to empanel a jury, a process that can take significant time in a case that has drawn substantial publicity. Second is presentation: Roman said the defense team may believe it has a better chance presenting its evidence to a judge.
Those dynamics matter here because the schedule is already framed as compressed. Judge Karp said he expects the case to run through the entire week, while the bench trial has also been described as expected to last less than a week. Either way, the format places heightened weight on direct courtroom presentation and the judge’s evaluation of testimony and exhibits, without the separate layer of jury instructions and deliberations.
The bench-trial decision also unfolded with an on-the-record disclosure. Before Kelsey Fitzsimmons took the stand in the Wednesday hearing, the prosecutor asked Judge Karp to note that he previously worked in the District Attorney’s office alongside defense attorney Timothy Bradl. Judge Karp and Timothy Bradl were in the same starting class of new assistant district attorneys in 1995, with Karp later assigned to Roxbury District Court and Bradl to Dorchester District Court. The prosecution did not oppose Judge Karp overseeing the bench trial and sought only to have the prior professional connection stated. Judge Karp said he was confident he could be fair and impartial.
Separately, at a hearing last week, Judge Karp ruled that Kelsey Fitzsimmons could move into an apartment on her own and begin the process of seeking custody of her son. After the Wednesday hearing, Kelsey Fitzsimmons said much of her life had been put on pause unexpectedly and that she is looking forward to getting back into everything, most importantly being a parent and a mom to her son.
For readers tracking what comes next, the key near-term marker is procedural and immediate: the court expects the case to start Monday at 9 a. m. ET, with Judge Jeffrey Karp serving as the factfinder in a bench trial that is anticipated to move quickly. In that tight window, the court will confront the prosecution’s allegation that Kelsey Fitzsimmons pointed her service weapon at a fellow officer and the defense position that she pointed it at herself while suffering from postpartum depression, as Kelsey Fitzsimmons awaits judgment from the court.
