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DEDHAM, Mass. (AP) — The assemblage is returning for much deliberations in the 2nd execution proceedings of Karen Read, who is charged with sidesplitting her Boston constabulary serviceman boyfriend.
Jurors began deliberations precocious past week, much than a period aft the proceedings started. The 2nd afloat time of deliberations is Tuesday.
Read, 45, is accused of striking John O’Keefe with her car extracurricular a suburban Boston location enactment and leaving him to dice successful the snowfall successful January 2022. She has been charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene.
Read's lawyers accidental O’Keefe, 46, was beaten, bitten by a dog, past near extracurricular a location successful Canton successful a conspiracy orchestrated by the constabulary that included planting grounds against Read.
Read's 2nd proceedings followed similar contours to the first, which ended successful a mistrial past year.
Read has ne'er been jailed for O'Keefe's killing. She did not attest astatine her archetypal execution proceedings oregon this one.
Defense argues Read was framed
Defense lawyer Alan Jackson began his closing statement Friday by repeating 3 times: “There was nary collision.” He told the assemblage that Read is an guiltless pistillate victimized by a constabulary cover-up successful which instrumentality enforcement officers sought to support their ain and obscure the existent killer.
He repeatedly attacked the pb researcher successful the case, erstwhile Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, who was fired aft sharing violative and sexist texts astir Read with friends, household and co-workers. He said Proctor's “blatant bias” tainted each facet of the corrupt and flawed probe and noted however prosecutors refused to enactment him connected the stand, arsenic they did during the archetypal trial.
Proctor, helium said, ignored leads, planted grounds and failed to see anyone different than Read arsenic a imaginable suspect.
“Michael Proctor went acold beyond conscionable insulting Karen Read. He dehumanized this woman,” helium told jurors. “He betrayed her arsenic a quality being. He was fired for this blatant bias. If the Massachusetts State Police can't spot him, however tin you spot him with this investigation, with your verdict and with Karen Read’s life?”
Jackson was constricted successful this proceedings to arguing that idiosyncratic different than Read killed O'Keefe. Rather than suggesting arsenic galore arsenic 3 radical could person killed O'Keefe arsenic helium did during the archetypal trial, Jackson singled retired Brian Higgins, a national cause who worked successful Canton and had exchanged flirtatious texts with Read. Jackson suggested Higgins was agitated astatine a barroom aft Read didn’t respond to his substance and had coaxed O’Keefe implicit to the Canton location enactment wherever helium was beaten up.
“What happened wrong that house, that basement oregon that garage? What grounds was determination for investigators to look into? What did they ignore?” Jackson asked, noting the “obvious canine bites” connected O’Keefe’s limb and the caput wounded from his falling backward onto a hard surface.
Prosecutors reason Read chose to permission O'Keefe to die
Prosecutor Hank Brennan opened his closing statement Friday by saying Read callously decided to permission O’Keefe dying successful the snow, afloat alert that helium was gravely injured. He argued that she made the “choice to let" O’Keefe die, going further than prosecutors successful the archetypal proceedings successful spelling retired a motive.
Karen Read is surrounded by media portion departing with her lawyer Alan Jackson arsenic the assemblage deliberates astatine her proceedings astatine Norfolk Superior Court, Monday, June 16, 2025, successful Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)Brennan said Read's blood-alcohol level was 2 to 3 times the ineligible limit, aft the mates downed aggregate drinks astatine 2 Canton bars. The couple, whose “toxic” narration was “crumbling,” had an statement connected the mode to the location enactment that accrued tensions and yet led to O'Keefe's death, the authoritative said.
“She was drunk, she deed him, and she near him to die,” Brennan said.
Pointing to information connected Read's SUV, Brennan said it showed Read starting to thrust disconnected earlier reversing and accelerating. He admitted they can't accidental however Read deed O'Keefe, but that she near “tons” of pieces of her taillight down successful the beforehand gait and that O'Keefe's DNA was recovered connected the vehicle. Data from O'Keefe's phone, helium said, showed O'Keefe hardly moved aft getting retired of the SUV, challenging the thought that helium made it into the location party.
He besides pointed to Read's ain words — shown successful a video interrogation for a documentary — and grounds from the country successful which she told archetypal responders that she “hit him.” He said this grounds whitethorn not correspond to the thought that determination was a immense conspiracy led by the “boogeyman” Proctor and “everyone mounting up the girl,” but helium said these witnesses should beryllium trusted.
As for Proctor, Brennan said the assemblage shouldn't beryllium influenced by the information helium didn't testify. Brennan argued helium wasn't needed and that determination is nary grounds that helium did thing to corrupt the investigation.
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t beryllium disgusted by the substance messages. You should. They are not defensible,” Brennan said. “I don’t basal present and support impropriety. I don’t. But that doesn’t alteration the carnal evidence, the technological grounds and the data.”
Read's pink-clad supporters
Dozens of Read supporters, dressed mostly successful pink, are camped retired waiting for the verdict. They stitchery down barricades and crossed the courthouse each greeting to drawback a glimpse of Read. Once she has passed, the assemblage retires to formation chairs wherever they swap stories and details astir the case.
The crowd, immoderate of whom travel waving American flags oregon posters supporting Read oregon denigrating the prosecution, accidental they are present due to the fact that Read could person been 1 of them. The tight-knit radical of mostly women argues the Read lawsuit woke them up to a corrupt justness system, and they anticipation their question tin betterment it. Some of them person been retired present agelong earlier the archetypal proceedings started.
The once-boisterious assemblage has mostly quieted down, fearful that immoderate sound they marque mightiness wounded Read's case. They person swapped chants and cheers for a manus motion for emotion that they flash to Read arsenic she walks past. Read often smiles and acknowledges her supporters.
There are nary opponents of Read extracurricular the tribunal oregon supporters of O'Keefe. At the extremity of the archetypal trial, immoderate supporters of O'Keefe came retired to the tribunal to enactment the household and reason for Read's conviction.
What are the charges Read faces?
Read faces respective charges, the astir superior being second-degree murder. If she is convicted, she would look a maximum condemnation of beingness successful prison. She besides faces manslaughter portion operating a centrifugal conveyance nether the influence, which carries a maximum condemnation of 20 years successful prison.
She is besides charged with involuntary manslaughter, which carries a maximum condemnation of 20 years successful prison; centrifugal conveyance homicide, which carries a maximum condemnation of 15 years successful prison; arsenic good arsenic operating nether the power and leaving the country of an mishap resulting successful death. They transportation maximum sentences of 2 1/2 years and 15 years, respectively.
Whittle reported from Scarborough, Maine.
