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A mistrial has been declared in Karen Read’s high-profile case after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision following eight weeks of testimony and five days of deliberations.
Read was on trial after being accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe in 2022 by hitting him with her SUV and leaving him to die outside in a snowstorm, a case that drew widespread attention thanks to true crime fanatics, conspiracy theorists and Read’s pink-shirted supporters.
On Monday, Read’s two-month-long trial came to an end when the judge declared a mistrial. Prosecutors have said they plan to retry the case.
“Our perspectives on the evidence are starkly divided,” the jury wrote in a note to Judge Beverly Cannone on Monday. “The deep division is not due to a lack of effort or diligence but rather a sincere adherence to our individual principles and moral convictions. To continue to deliberate would be futile.”
Just before lunch, the jury claimed to be an an impasse, but the judge sent them out again to try to come to a decision.
“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 first note read. “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.”
The jury first claimed on Friday to be deadlocked in their decision as to whether or not Read was responsible for killing O’Keefe.
During the trial, the state argued Read ran over O’Keefe, killing him after their relationship deteriorated. But the defense claimed O’Keefe was killed in a fight with others and Read has been framed for the murder.
Prosecutors argued that Read dropped O’Keefe, 46, off at a house party in Canton hosted by fellow officer, Brian Albert, after a night of drinking, struck him while making a three-point turn and drove away, leaving him to die in the snow.
She allegedly returned hours later to find O’Keefe’s snow-covered body in the front year and was heard repeatedly shouting “I hit him, I hit him” as first responders were on the scene, witnesses have testified.
But Read’s defense team claimed that she was framed by someone who beat O’Keefe to death at Albert’s home and that he was bitten by the family dog.
They say the homeowner’s relationship with local and state police tainted their investigation.
“Ladies and gentlemen, there was a cover-up in this case, plain and simple,” Jackson said during closing arguments.
The defense also argued that investigators focused on Read because she was a “convenient outsider” who saved them from having to consider other suspects, including Albert and other law enforcement officers who were at the party.
The jury of six men and six women deliberated behind closed doors in Norfolk County Superior Court, while a “sidewalk jury” of true crime bloggers and Read supporters gathered outside for days.
Many were drawn to the case because of an online blog run by Aidan Kearney, aka Turtleboy, who has relentlessly questioned the prosecution. He has also been accused of harassing witnesses. Kearney was charged with witness intimidation and conspiracy, which he denies.
