Karen Read jurors tell judge they are still deadlocked on murder verdict
DEDHAM, Mass. — Jurors in the Karen Read trial said that they can’t come to an agreement over whether the ex-college professor murdered her cop boyfriend.
The jurors – six men and six women – wrote a note Monday morning on their fifth day of deliberations telling a judge they haven’t been able to reach a unanimous verdict.
“We find ourselves divided by fundamental differences in our opinions,” Norfolk County Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone said, reading the jury’s note. “The divergence in our views is not rooted in a lack of understanding, but deeply-held convictions that each of us carry, ultimately leading to a point where consensus is unattainable.”
The jurors first told the judge on Friday morning that they couldn’t agree.
At the time, Cannone found the panelists hadn’t been at it long enough to declare a mistrial and instructed them to return to deliberations.
Cannone called a brief recess after hearing from Read’s lawyers Monday morning who said the jury had conducted thorough deliberations while prosecutors said considering the length and breadth of the case, they still needed more time.
“This jury heard about 29 days or so of testimony,” prosecutor Adam Lally told the judge, adding they’d heard from 74 witnesses and had seen 657 pieces of evidence.
“While I believe they have been out in the vicinity of 22 or 23 hours,” the prosecutor said. “They really haven’t even had one hour of deliberation to each of the days of testimony they have heard.”
Meanwhile, Read’s lawyer David Yannetti said the jurors had taken an “exhaustive” look at the evidence.
After the quick break, Cannone brought jurors in to read them an additional instruction before telling them to continue deliberating.
What to know about the Karen Read murder case
- Karen Read, 44, was charged with second-degree murder for allegedly mowing down her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, as she was dropping him off to meet friends in Canton, Mass. on Jan. 29, 2022.
- The night of O’Keefe’s death, the couple had been out on a bar crawl with Read allegedly consuming seven drinks in just 90 minutes, according to reports.
- Prosecutors claim that after Read drunkenly ran over her boyfriend, she drove off and left O’Keefe to die outside as a snow storm was set to sweep in.
- Read’s lawyers argued she was framed in a sweeping law enforcement cover-up and that O’Keefe actually died after getting into an altercation with his officer friends.
- The two-month trial that had 74 witnesses featured stunning revelations, including “unprofessional” messages by the lead detective, and crowds of fawning supporters who cheered Read on outside court each day.
- On July 1, 2024 Judge Beverly Cannone declared a mistrial in the case, since the jury was not able to reach a unanimous verdict after five days of deliberations.
- Read faced up to life in prison if she had been convicted on the top count of murder.
“It’s your duty to decide this case if you can do so conscientiously,” Cannone said as part of her instructions before sending that back out to continue deliberating.
As Read’s lawyer, Alan Jackson, left the courthouse with Read he said the jurors are “doing a great job.
In all, the panel members have been conducting their decision making process for roughly 23 hours, following 35 days of trial, which is entering its ninth week.
If convicted of second-degree murder, Read faces up to life in prison.
Want to learn more about Karen Read’s murder trial? Click down below
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- Karen Read case ends in mistrial, DA vows to re-try her for murder of cop boyfriend
- Inside the allure of alleged murderer Karen Read: Cover-up, corruption and a controversial blogger
Read, 44, is accused of mowing down her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, with her Lexus SUV and leaving him for dead outside of a Canton, Mass. home in a snowstorm.
Stacy Bettancourt, 47, one of the hundreds of Read supporters outside court Monday, said she thinks if a mistrial is declared it would be difficult for prosecutors to bring it again because of how much publicity it’s received.
Bettancourt, of Ashland, Mass., who was wearing a “Free Karen” tank top, said: “I think you’ll have a really hard time finding jurors that are number one not biased and number two not living under a rock.”
Bettancourt said she believes the case had been mishandled and agreed with the defense argument that Read was the victim of a law enforcement cover-up.
“It’s an embarrassment for the state of Massachusetts,” Bettancourt said.
