The judge in the Karen Read murder trial instructed the jury to continue deliberating after they said — for the second time — that they cannot reach a verdict.
According to Boston 25 News, jurors sent a note to Judge Beverly Cannone stating, “We find ourselves divided by fundamental differences in our opinions.”
Instead of calling is mistrial, Judge Cannone provided the jury with a “dynamite charge” — or a set of instructions that act as a last-ditch effort to avoid a hung jury and complete deadlock.
Read continuing coverage below:
The verdict watch continues in the Karen Read murder trial, with the jury starting it’s fifth day of deliberations.
A Norfolk County grand jury in Massachusetts indicted Read in 2022 on murder, motor vehicle manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a collision causing death charges. She’s accused of killing her boyfriend, John O’Keefe, a Boston police officer.
Read was initially arrested on manslaughter charges after she allegedly hit O’Keefe with her SUV, then left him for dead outside a friend’s residence in Canton. Police said the incident happened after Read had a night out involving drinking.
Read pleaded not guilty to the charges and claimed that she’s been framed. The defense suggested O’Keefe was beaten up inside his friend’s home and bitten by a dog before he left the residence.
The prosecution, however, asserted that Read’s SUV was damaged when she reversed into O’Keefe on Fairview Road. They argued that she left him for dead in a snowbank outside another officer’s home in the early hours of January 29, 2022.
After 22 hours of deliberation, the jury has, so far, failed to reach a verdict in the case.
Last week, Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally contended that, despite the trial’s extensive duration and numerous deliberation days this week, the jury hasn’t spent enough time on the case.
Defense attorney David Yannetti argued that jurors have been diligent on the case, and with the weekend approaching, they should be given the “Tuey-Rodriguez” instructions, which are typically used for deadlocked juries.
Criminal defense attorney Peter Elikann noted that, with over 70 witnesses and nine weeks of testimony, the jurors have a substantial amount of information to review before they can reach a verdict.
“Keep in mind, we’ve all been talking about this case, gossiping. The jury has never been able to talk about this at all. They’re forbidden to chat about this case, and this is the very first time they’re sitting in a room, the 12 of them, and going over the evidence, and chatting. They must just be ready to explode with all this pent in them for the last nine weeks,” Elikann said, according to NBC Boston.
Judge Beverly Cannone decided that the jury had not deliberated enough, especially in light of the nearly two-month-long trial with 74 witnesses.
The jury could agree on a verdict, or they could come back saying they can’t decide, and the judge would give them more instructions to keep deliberating. If they still can’t decide after that, it could lead to a mistrial.
The judge has the final say on when to call a mistrial if the jury remains deadlocked.
[Feature Photo: Karen Read reacts to he attorney Alan Jackson as he cross examines state trooper Michael Proctor during her trial, 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)]
