A Massachusetts judge, citing a juror’s “credible” and “reasonable fear for their safety and their family’s safety,” ordered the indefinite sealing of the Karen Read murder trial juror list on Thursday.
On July 1, Judge Beverly Cannone declared a mistrial after the jury of six women and six men said they were deadlocked in their deliberations on charges that Read killed her boyfriend, John O’Keefe.
“Through their affidavit, Juror Doe has established that publication of the list identifying the names of the empaneled jurors will present a real and present risk of personal harm to jurors and to the integrity of their service,” Cannone wrote in her order.
“The jurors, if identified, are likely to become targets of harassment, abuse, doxing and, potentially, violence,” Juror Doe noted in their affidavit describing the “nearly unprecedented and vitriolic public interest associated with this case.”
The juror, identified as Juror Doe, wrote that they recalled “testimony from at least one witness who described being harassed by |individuals and her family being harassed because of their involvement in this case.”
“I do not know any of the specifics of any such harassment, but I fear that my family and I will not only be harassed if the names of the jurors are made public, but that our personal safety will be seriously compromised.”
“The order does not “preclude any juror from identifying himself or herself and/or from speaking to the public about his/her jury service.”
Read Juror Doe’s Affidavit Below
Juror Doe/Karen Read Case by Leigh Egan
As CrimeOnline previously reported, 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]
