A Massachusetts judge presiding over Karen Read’s murder trial declared a mistrial on Monday — after the jury said they were unable to reach a verdict.
The 12-person jury first told Judge Beverly J. Cannone that they were deadlocked on Friday, but the judge told them to continue with deliberations. On Monday morning, the jury said they remained deadlocked after 90 more minutes of deliberations, according to the Boston Globe.
The judge instructed the jury to continue deliberating — providing them with a “dynamite charge,” or a list of instructions that act as a last-ditch effort to avoid a hung jury and complete deadlock.
However, the foreman issued the following note to the court on Monday afternoon:
“Despite our commitment to the duty entrusted to us, we find ourselves deeply divided by fundamental differences in our opinions and state of mind. The divergence in our views are not rooted in a lack of understanding or effort, but deeply held convictions that each of us carry ultimately leading to a point where consensus is unattainable. We recognize the weight of this admission and the implications it holds.”
The note led the judge to declare a mistrial.
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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.
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.
* Additional reporting by Leigh Egan
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