Jurors in the high-profile case of the glamorous murder suspect accused of killing her police officer boyfriend sent a letter to the judge Friday saying they were “unable to reach a unanimous verdict.”
Less than four full days of deliberations, Norfolk County Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone ordered the jurors – six men and six women – to trying to make a judgment because they say they have not deliberated long enough.
Cannone told the judges to eat lunch and take a break before returning to work. ‘We all know how hard you have worked. Lunch will be here soon. When the time comes, I would ask you to clear your heads, have lunch and return to deliberation,” the judge said, CNN reported.
Karen Read, 44, has long denied any involvement in the death of her boyfriend John O’Keefe in January 2022 Instead, she claims she is being accused by police of a vast conspiracy.
Read said earlier this week that she is willing to testify and would be happy to do so prove her right herself.
The jury must decide whether Read is guilty or not of second-degree murder, which in Massachusetts is punishable by life in prison with the possibility of parole, Yahoo News reports.
Karen Read, 44, was scolded by a judge at the end of her trial for appearing to grin at the courtroom crowd. The judge asked: “Is this funny, Ms Read?”
Read is charged with murder in the January 2022 death of her boyfriend, police officer John O’Keefe, who prosecutors say was hit by Read in her car after a drunken night out.
Read also faces lesser charges of manslaughter while operating a vehicle while intoxicated, punishable by five to 20 years, and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, punishable by up to 10 years, the news outlet said.
The jury has been deliberating on the case since Tuesday afternoon, which includes a police cover-up, allegations of inappropriate behavior and sexist text messages from a lead investigator, the news outlet reported.
After the letter was sent to Judge Cannone just after noon Friday, the prosecution and defense asked her to consider several outcomes when deciding what to tell the jury.
“It’s far, far, far too early in their deliberation process to even consider giving them any kind of Tuey-Rodriguez instruction or anything resembling that,” said Adam Lally, Norfolk County assistant district attorney, referring to a special set of instructions in Massachusetts that are read to a jury when jurors cannot agree on a verdict.
‘The letter does not really show that they cannot come to a conclusion. It just says that they have not reached a conclusion through their deliberation at this time.”
Alternatively, defense attorney David Yanetti suggested that the jury be read the Tuey-Rodriguez sentencing instructions, indicating that the court would prefer that the jury not reach a unanimous verdict.
Norfolk County Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone blasted Read’s courtroom antics Wednesday during a discussion with her attorney about the verdict handed down to jurors
Read is facing a life sentence for the alleged murder of her boyfriend, and has raised eyebrows over her behavior during the trial
Prosecutors allege Read hit O’Keefe with her car after an argument, while she claims she was framed by partygoers and members of the Boston Police Department.
The footage shows Read shaking her head after the judge addressed her. This one answers bluntly: ‘Okay, we’re done.’
It came as Jackson challenged the wording used in a verdict sheet to be given to the jury, which he said prompted jurors to find Read guilty, the report reports. New York Post.
After Read’s apparent courtroom antics, Cannone disagreed with Jackson’s objection, saying it was the same ruling that is made in all Massachusetts courts in a murder case.
After the hearing, Cannone reportedly decided to slightly amend the verdict sheet to add an additional instruction to the jury.
The jury deliberated on the verdict for about three hours on Tuesday and continued on Wednesday when the trial ended.
Read faces life in prison for the murder of her boyfriend John O’Keefe, who was found dead outside a friend’s house in January 2022.
Prosecutors allege Read hit O’Keefe with her car after a drunken argument ensued when she dropped him off at his house for a party. They also claim they found pieces of her car’s taillight around his body.
Read’s defense has countered that she was the victim of an elaborate conspiracy to frame her, and alleged that the police officer may actually have been attacked by other officers and attendees at the party where he was found dead.
During her trial, Read’s claim that she was framed has attracted many fans. You often see them standing outside the court, insisting that she is innocent.
Many have taken to wearing light pink to show their support, leading Judge Cannone to issue a ruling at the start of the trial banning such clothing and barring supporters from coming within 200 feet of the courthouse .
Read’s behavior in court has drawn criticism from some. For example, she ate snacks during the courtroom and winked at the cameras as she approached her supporters.
Read has come under scrutiny in court for a perceived light-hearted attitude, including winking at cameras and interjecting during the proceedings
When her trial began, Read received strong support from true crime fans and local residents who camped outside the courthouse with signs that read “Free Karen Read.”
The 44-year-old financial analyst and professor is charged with second-degree murder. Prosecutors say she drove drunk through O’Keefe after an argument.
She had spent the evening drinking with O’Keefe and a group of friends at the Waterfall Bar and Grill in Canton, about 14 miles south of Boston. The group had been invited to an afterparty at his friend Brian Albert’s house.
Read, who prosecutors say had consumed several alcoholic drinks beforehand, decided to drop O’Keefe off at the afterparty before heading to his home — which he shared with his orphaned niece and nephew — to go to sleep around 1 a.m.
Court documents show that the couple had been arguing heavily for weeks, and on the night O’Keefe died, Read left him a voicemail message calling him a “f****** loser” and ” John, I f****** hate you.”
The couple had been dating for two years when O’Keefe died. He had worked for the Boston Police Department for 16 years.
Read and O’Keefe had been drinking on the night of his death, before she took him to an after-party while she went home to sleep. Hours later, he was found dead on the lawn of the after-party house
As the party continued at the home of Albert, a retired Boston police officer, Read said she woke up around 4 a.m. to find he wasn’t home, telling O’Keefe’s niece she was “distraught.” .
Attendees at the party, including several police officers, claimed that O’Keefe never showed up at the party or entered the house.
Read then searched for O’Keefe with a friend, and prosecutors allege that during the search she speculated, “What if he’s dead?” What if a plow hit him?…I can’t remember anything from last night, we drank so much I can’t remember anything.’
At 6 a.m., Read found O’Keefe lying in the snow outside Albert’s home, and a first responder on scene reportedly claimed Read repeatedly shouted, “I hit him, I hit him,” reports CBS News.
O’Keefe was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy revealed the cause of death was blunt force trauma and hypothermia.