Karen Read trial jury says they're deadlocked, judge tells them keep deliberating
DEDHAM - The Karen Read verdict watch took a turn Friday when the jury told the judge they're deadlocked. But Norfolk Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone told them to go back to their deliberations. The jury deliberated until 4:15 p.m. before they were sent home for the weekend.
Karen Read deadlocked jury
Just before noon, the jury sent Judge Cannone a note saying, "Despite our exhaustive review of the evidence and our diligent consideration of all disputed evidence, we have been unable to reach a unanimous verdict."
The judge called attorneys for both sides into the courtroom for a brief meeting.
"This note arrived with less than three hours of deliberations today," Cannone said. "I'm not prepared to find that there have been due and thorough deliberations at this point."
The judge then brought the jury back into the courtroom and told them, "Clear your heads, have lunch and begin your deliberations again, or continue your deliberations."
"It's how deliberations work," defense attorney Alan Jackson told reporters on his way out of the courtroom.
Karen Read trial
As jurors began their fourth day of deliberations, some legal analysts said juries often come to a decision on a Friday, especially with a holiday coming up next week.
Read's attorneys and the "Free Karen Read" supporters outside Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts were hoping for a quick verdict.
"We're getting a little nervous, because to me, it's like cut and dry, the decision to be made. Kind of confused on where the jury is at and what they're still deliberating about," Read supporter Emma Lowry told WBZ-TV outside court.
But, it's not unusual for juries to take their time in high-profile trials.
Karen Read case compared to other high-profile trials
The O.J. Simpson trial lasted eight months and the jury deliberated for just four hours before he was acquitted.
The first Aaron Hernandez trial lasted nearly three months before a jury convicted him. They deliberated for 36 hours over seven days.
Whitey Bulger's two-month trial in Boston ended after the jury convicted him following 32 hours of deliberations over five days.
The Read jury had deliberated for about 14 and-a-half hours heading into Friday's session. They heard testimony from 74 witness and saw more than 600 pieces of evidence presented over nearly two months.
Karen Read verdict results
The jury is deliberating three charges against Read in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police officer John O'Keefe on January 29, 2022 - second degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene where there has been personal injury and death.
"Nobody knows what's going on in that jury room," retired Massachusetts Superior Court Judge Jack Lu told WBZ. "One of the ways of doing it for the jury is to start with exhibit number one and go step by step by step."
"I think the defense is getting a little worried," legal expert Jennifer Roman told WBZ of the deliberations. "I think the prosecution's feeling a little bit better."
"The jury also has a lot of choices to make here because of the nature of the charges," Roman said. "They could always find her not guilty of one charge, but then find her guilty of a lesser charge."
Karen Read jury's first decision
"All of this, of course, means that the jury has to believe that Karen Read actually hit John O'Keefe with her motor vehicle. If they find that, then they've got to weed through all of this other debate about what's the correct charge to convict of, if anything, and what does all this evidence mean?" Roman said.
"If they can't get a unanimous decision about that, then that's where the jury deliberations end. They have to find that she hit him in order to proceed with the rest of these deliberations."
"We don't know where they're at in their deliberations. We don't know if they're stuck on step one or if they've decided unanimously on step one and now they're debating about the charges," Roman told WBZ.
What is a hung jury?
If the Read trial ends with a hung jury, in other words, they can't reach a verdict, it would lead to a retrial.
"I'm concerned it's going be a hung jury. And I say that because the jury is representative of the population of people, and you can go to a party and talk to 10 different people, and you're going to have 5 or 6 on one side, 4 or 5 on the other, who all view this case differently," Roman said.
"If this was a hung jury, I have no doubt that the prosecution would retry this case. I question if, on a retrial, they would still go for the second-degree murder charge. I do think that that was a bit of a stretch."