Karen Read case ends in mistrial, DA vows to re-try her for murder of cop boyfriend
DEDHAM, Mass. — Karen Read’s argument that she was framed for the murder of her cop boyfriend — a claim which has gained a cult following — paved the way for enough reasonable doubt that her trial ended with a hung jury Monday.
Judge Beverly Cannone ruled Monday that the deadlocked jury in Dedham, Massachusetts, was not able to reach a unanimous verdict on whether Read, 44, fatally mowed down her beau, Boston Police John O’Keefe on Jan. 29, 2022.
The panelists sent Cannone notes on Friday and again on Monday morning explaining they disagree because of “deeply-held convictions that each of us carry” following five days of deliberations.
The jury foreman, in his final note to the judge Monday afternoon, said, “Our perspectives on the evidence are starkly divided. Some members of the jury firmly believe that the evidence surpasses the burden of proof establishing the elements of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. Conversely others find the evidence fails to meet this standard and does not sufficiently establish the necessary elements of the charges.
The foreman added: “The deep division is not due to a lack of effort or diligence, but rather a sincere adherence to our individual principles and moral codes. To continue to deliberate would be futile and only serve to force us to compromise these deeply held beliefs.”
Cannone’s response was simple: “I’m not going to do that to you, folks. Your service is complete. I’m declaring a mistrial in this case. Thank you so much for your service.”
Sitting in the Norfolk County Superior courtroom gallery, O’Keefe’s mother Peggy O’Keefe could be seen wiping her eyes with a tissue and bowing her head low after mistrial was declared.
A smiling Read hugged several people who’d been sitting in the first row of the gallery.
Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey said immediately after the ruling that he plans to re-try Read.
The sensational two-month trial featured stunning revelations — such as “unprofessional” messages by the lead detective — that fueled the theory Read was a patsy and which drew crowds of fawning supporters who cheered her on outside court each day.
Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor was forced to admit to a slew of nasty messages he sent to friends about a long-haired, slender Read while he was on the witness stand, including saying she was a “babe,” a “wack job c–t,” and “retarded.”
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 snowstorm 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 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.
Read’s team claimed Proctor’s conduct, along with allegedly dishonest witnesses in the case, showed it was rotten from the start and there was a sweeping effort by law enforcement to hide that O’Keefe was actually allegedly killed during a fight with his cop buddies — a theory which spurred a “Free Karen Read” movement.
After the ruling the crowd of hundreds outside cheered and screamed, yelling “free Karen Read!”
Read’s lawyer declared victory to the supporters following the ruling, with the defendant by his side.
“This is what it looks like when you bring false charges against an innocent person. The Commonwealth did their worst,” Alan Jackson said.
“They brought the weight of the state based on spurious charges, based on a compromised investigation, and investigators and compromised witnesses.This is what it looks like. Guess what? They failed.”
The jurors — six men and six women — were tasked with deciding whether Read, 44, backed over Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, with her Lexus SUV and then leaving him to die in the cold outside of a home in Canton on Jan. 29, 2022.
She was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. She faced up to life in prison if she had been convicted on the top count of murder.
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.
Want to learn more about Karen Read’s murder trial? Click down below
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- New Karen Read ABC ‘20/20’ doc gives behind-the-scenes look at defendant picking out clothes, preparing for trial on murder charges
- Karen Read sued by family of Boston cop boyfriend she’s accused of killing
- Karen Read’s bid to have charges tossed in cop boyfriend murder case rejected by judge
Read was accused of then drunkenly driving O’Keefe to cop pal Brian Albert’s home for a party with a group of officers before mowing him down in a rage and hightailing away, then sending a slew of swear-laden voicemails and text messages to her beau.
During the two-month trial — that featured testimony from 74 witnesses — Read’s lawyers argued she is the victim of a frame job carried out by law enforcement in order to cover-up that O’Keefe was actually fatally beaten up by his officer friends.
The theory has galvanized hundreds of supporters to come out to court to advocate for her innocence throughout trial.
Outside court on Monday, supporters said the mistrial should vindicate Read and the prosecutors should drop the charges.
Mark Zak, 61, said despite what the DA’s office said he was skeptical they would bring the case again and he said it would be difficult to keep the trial in the same county, given how locals had been exposed to the public frenzy.
“It’s going to be hard to find a jury that’s [not] going to say ‘Why are you even bothering with this trial? You know she’s not guilty,'” Zak said.
“So if the state believes they feel a need to redo this trial, I just say good luck to them,” Zak added.
Another supporter agreed no prospective jurors in Norfolk County, a Boston bedroom community, could have avoided the wall-to-wall coverage of the trial, which was live-streamed across the internet.
“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,” said Stacy Bettancourt, 47, who was wearing a red “Free Karen” tank top.
