In Massachusetts, jurors embarked on their second day of deliberating Tuesday in the murder trial of Karen Read. She is charged with fatally striking her boyfriend, a Boston police officer, with her SUV in 2022 and leaving him to succumb to his injuries.
As reported by USA Today, the 12-member jury dedicated over nine hours to examining the case, yet a verdict has not been reached. Deliberations continued at 9 a.m. at the Norfolk Superior Court located in Dedham.
Read arrived at court Tuesday with crowds of supporters gathered outside.
On Monday, Judge Beverly Cannone dismissed the defense’s motion to adjust the verdict forms. Read’s attorneys advocated for the inclusion of extra checkboxes to avoid what they claimed caused confusion during the initial trial, according to 7 News Boston.
The defense said several jurors from the first trial later stated they found Read not guilty on two of the three charges but still declared a deadlock.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Read, a 45-year-old former adjunct professor, has pleaded not guilty in connection with O’Keefe’s death. Prosecutors accused Read of hitting O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV during a snowstorm on January 29, 2022, at a house party in Canton, Massachusetts.
Her first trial ended in a hung jury last year.
The defense previously argued that O’Keefe was beaten up at fellow police officer Brian Albert’s residence, attacked by a German Shepherd named Chloe, and left outside the home during a blizzard.
Prosecutor Hank Brennan, however, focused on Read’s actions on the morning in question and the physical evidence in the case. He pointed out that Read, intoxicated and angry that the relationship was ending, struck O’Keefe with her vehicle and left him to die.
Calling O’Keefe a “decent man” who “looked out for others,” Brennan said Friday that O’Keefe was in need that night, and the only person in a position to assist him, by dialing 911 or seeking help from neighbors, was Read. Instead, she fled the scene.
Brennan argued that data from Read’s SUV and O’Keefe’s phone supported the prosecution’s timeline. He then highlighted testimony from first responders who said Read admitted, “I hit him.”
CBS Boston reports that the verdict is anticipated to be announced within around an hour of being reached.
Read has pleaded not guilty to charges that include second-degree murder, vehicle manslaughter while driving under the influence, and leaving the scene of a fatal accident.
Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo: Defendant Karen Read listens to her lawyer Alan Jackson question witness Massachusetts State trooper Michael Proctor during her, Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Norfolk Super Court in Dedham, Mass. Read is facing charges, including second degree murder, in the 2022 death of her boyfriend Boston Officer John O’Keefe. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)]
