Karen Read jurors had ‘agreement’ to acquit her of killing cop boyfriend, lawyers claim
Karen Read’s lawyers on Monday claimed that three jurors came forward to say the jury had an “agreement” to acquit her of killing her Boston cop boyfriend before the judge declared a mistrial.
In a new filing, attorneys Alan Jackson and David Yannetti asked the judge to dismiss charges of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a fatal crash.
Read’s defense team stated that it received “unsolicited communications” from the jurors following her weeks-long trial in Dedham, Mass., which ended in a hung jury.
The lawyers claim the jurors said “in no uncertain terms that the jury had a firm 12-0 agreement that Ms. Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her, including the charge of murder in the second degree.”
Monday’s filing also states that the jury unanimously believed Read was not guilty of leaving the scene of a fatal crash.
“No one thought she hit him on purpose or even thought she him on purpose,” one juror told the defense team, according to court documents.
Another juror reportedly told the defense team that there was “no consideration for murder 2” and that Read “should’ve been acquitted,” according to the filing.
The assertions directly contradict the jury foreman’s notes to Judge Beverly Cannone during the five-day deliberation. The foreman communicated that the jurors were hopelessly deadlocked as a result of “deeply held beliefs.”
The foreman said July 1, “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” and asked that the judge not force jurors to attempt to compromise their beliefs about the case.
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.
As a result, Cannone declared a mistria.
The Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office said immediately after the ruling that it plans to re-try Read.
The DA’s office on Monday said it is reviewing the motion and plans to file a response. “We look forward to picking a new trial date on July 22,” the DA’s statement added.
Read’s filing references the double jeopardy clause in the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution — which prohibits anyone from being prosecuted twice for substantially the same crime — in asking that the charges be tossed.
She also faces a charge of manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor.
The night of O’Keefe’s death, the couple had been out on a bar crawl, and prosecutors alleged Read had seven drinks in just 90 minutes.
Read was accused of 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 — featuring 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.
Read faced up to life in prison if she had been convicted on the top count of murder.
