(NewsSpace.com) – In January 2022, Karen Read dropped her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, off at a friend’s house in the city after a night of drinking. She allegedly hit him with her vehicle when she backed out of the driveway and left him to die. Authorities charged her with several offenses, including second-degree murder. Her recent trial ended with a deadlocked jury, but prosecutors have vowed to try her again.
Read’s trial for O’Keefe’s death began back in April. Over the past few months, jurors have heard from more than 70 witnesses and had the chance to examine more than 600 pieces of evidence. However, that wasn’t enough for them to come to a conclusive decision as to whether or not Read was responsible for her former boyfriend’s death.
The jury, made up of six women and six men, told the judge on Friday, June 28, that they were at an impasse after deliberating for four days. The following Monday, that remained the case, and Judge Beverly Cannone had no choice but to declare a mistrial. That doesn’t mean the story ends there. The prosecutors in the case have said they plan to retry it.
The case against Read has been polarizing, to say the least. Read’s attorneys maintain that she was set up and the victim of an elaborate coverup. They maintain that O’Keefe was killed at the friend’s house and then dragged outside, which is where Read, who showed up hours later with friends, found him. The cause of death was listed as blunt force trauma and hypothermia, but the autopsy noted that his body was devoid of any broken bones or bruising that would occur with being hit by a vehicle.
Cannone has scheduled another hearing to take place on July 22, to determine the next steps in the case. From there, another trial date will likely be set.
Copyright 2024, NewsSpace.com
