Karen Read’s lawyers have filed a motion to dismiss charges still looming against her, following a mistrial in the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer, John O’Keefe.
Read’s defense team reported receiving “unsolicited communications” from three jurors from her murder trial. These jurors unanimously agreed that Read was not guilty of second-degree murder, and were split on the vehicular manslaughter charge.
The filing further noted that the jury believed unanimously that Read was not guilty of the third charge, which was leaving the scene of a fatal crash.
First 4 pages of new defense filing: pic.twitter.com/wxKQPLALcz
— Ted Daniel (@TedDanielnews) July 8, 2024
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Read’s murder trial ended in a mistrial July 1 when the jury told Judge Beverly Cannone that they were deadlocked. This was the third note from the jury indicating they couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict after five days of deliberations.
The defense filing also cited the Double Jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment, which bars prosecuting someone twice for the same crime, Boston 25 News reports. Despite this, the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office announced their intention to retry Read on the same charges as her first trial.
CBS News reports that defense layer Alan Jackson wrote that the judge didn’t allow Read’s lawyers to speak when the jury last reported they were deadlocked. The court filing stated that Cannone failed to ask the jury foreperson which charges the jury could not agree on.
“Had the Court so inquired, it appears clear that NOT GUILTY verdicts would have been recorded for Count 1 and Count 3. Ms. Read was denied her right to receive those verdicts in her favor,” Jackson wrote.
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.
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[Feature Photo: Karen Read/LinkedIn and John O’Keefe/Police Handout]
