Jurors in the trial of Karen Read, who is accused of killing her boyfriend, a Boston police officer, said they could not reach a unanimous verdict in a Friday update.
A jury of six men and six women spent much of the week deliberating on the verdict after the two-month trial of Read, 44, who was accused of killing John O’Keefe, 46.
Jurors notified Judge Beverly Cannone on Friday that that they could not reach a unanimous verdict, Boston.com reported.
A note, read aloud by Cannone, said: “Dear Judge Cannone, I am writing to inform you on behalf of the jury that despite our exhaustive review of the evidence and our diligent consideration of all disputed evidence, we have been unable to reach a unanimous verdict.”
Prosecutors asked Cannone to instruct the jury to continue deliberating. Meanwhile, Read’s defense team argued that the jury has had sufficient time to weigh the facts and evidence of the case.
Cannone ultimately instructed the jury to continue deliberating, deciding that they had not had enough time to weigh the “complex issues” brought up in trial.
The judge added that Friday was just the second full day that jurors had spent deliberating on the case, after only deliberating for a few hours on Tuesday and leaving court early on Wednesday.
“We all know how hard you’ve been working,” Cannone said to jurors during a brief address, Boston.com reported. “Lunch will be arriving shortly. When it comes, I’d ask you to clear your heads, have lunch, and begin your deliberations again – or continue your deliberations.”
As jurors continue deliberating on a verdict, the high-profile trial continues to capture nationwide attention.
O’Keefe, who served as a Boston police officer for 16 years, was found dead on 29 January 2022 outside the home of Brian Albert, a retired Boston cop who hosted a house party in the Boston suburb of Canton.
According to investigators, O’Keefe suffered multiple head injuries, including a fractured skull and a brain bleed. He also sustained hypothermia.
Prosecutors have argued that Read killed O’Keefe in an act of domestic violence. Read is accused of driving over O’Keefe with an SUV while under the influence and fleeing the scene while O’Keefe lay dying.
Read pleaded not guilty to several charges including second-degree murder, manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of a deadly crash. She faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if found guilty.
Her defense team has maintained that she was framed by corrupt officials attempting to cover up O’Keefe’s murder, using fabricated evidence and a false testimony to frame Read.
The defense also narrowed in on sexist texts sent by the lead investigator of the case, state trooper Michael Proctor.
Proctor called Read a “whack job” in several text messages to friends, families and colleagues about the case, the Associated Press reported.
The state trooper also admitted to joking with other officers about not finding any nude photos of Read during the investigation while searching her phone and texting his sister that he wished Read would “kill herself”.
