DEDHAM, Mass. A judge declared a mistrial Monday after jurors deadlocked in the case. Karen Leia, a woman accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend by hitting him with her SUV and leaving him in a snowstorm.
Prosecutors said in a statement that they intend to retry the case, which has attracted a lot of attention thanks to true crime fanatics, conspiracy theorists and Read’s pink-shirt supporters.
Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, faced second-degree murder and other charges in the death of Officer John O’Keefe, a 16-year member of the Boston police who was found outside the home of another Boston police officer in Canton in January 2022. An autopsy found that O’Keefe died of hypothermia and blunt trauma.
Prosecutors said Read and O’Keefe were drinking heavily before she left him at a party at the home of Brian Albert, a fellow officer. They said she hit him with her SUV before driving away.
The defense sought to portray Read as the victim, saying O’Keefe was killed inside Albert’s home and then dragged outside and left for dead. They argued that investigators focused on Read because she was a “convenient stranger” who saved them from having to consider other suspects, including Albert and other officers present at the party.
On Friday, a jury representative told the judge that they had not reached a unanimous verdict despite an “exhaustive review of the evidence.” The judge told the jurors to keep trying. On Monday morning, jurors said they were deadlocked, but the judge asked them to continue deliberating. In the afternoon, they said it would be pointless to continue.
“The deep division is not due to a lack of effort or diligence, but rather a sincere adherence to our individual principles or moral convictions,” the jury said in a note read by the judge in court.
O’Keefe’s mother cried after the mistrial, while Read hugged his father and other relatives.
The Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement: “First, we thank the O’Keefe family for their commitment and dedication to this long process. They kept sight of the true heart of this case – finding justice for John O’Keefe. The Commonwealth intends to retry the case.”
Defense attorney Alan Jackson said he and Read’s other representatives will continue to fight.
“They failed. They failed miserably and they will continue to fail,” he told reporters outside the courtroom. “No matter how long it takes, no matter how long they keep trying, we won’t stop fighting.”
Testimony during the two-month trial focused on shoddy police work and relations between the parties. Police acknowledged using red plastic cups to collect blood evidence and a leaf blower to try to clear the snow and reveal evidence. The lead investigator acknowledged making crude statements about Read in text messages from his personal cell phone.
Experts disagreed on whether O’Keefe’s injuries were consistent with being run over by Read’s luxury SUV, which had a broken taillight. The defense claimed the injuries were caused by a fight and the family’s aggressive dog Albert.
As the drama unfolded in a courtroom, dozens of Read’s supporters dressed in pink gathered outside each day, carrying “Free Karen Read” signs and surrounding her as she arrived each day. Drivers honked their horns in support. A smaller group of people who wanted Read convicted also showed up.
Another lawyer representing Read, David Yannetti, said he was in awe of his client’s “strength and courage” and praised those who supported her before and during the trial.
“Your support has been invaluable,” he said. “We are thrilled and ask for your continued support.”
Rita Lombardi, one of those supporters, said she had mixed feelings about the result.
“It’s not the verdict we expected, we expected a not guilty verdict. That is what this jury should have returned with the evidence that was presented,” she said. “But we accept the hung jury, we accept the mistrial.”
Aidan Timothy Kearney also said he expected full vindication.
“But in my opinion, the fact that so many people on that jury are clearly aware, the majority are clearly with Karen Read,” he said outside the courtroom. “It’s a small minority that are stubborn and don’t look at the facts and aren’t impartial and are just judging her based on not liking her.”
Prosecutors trusted several rescuers who testified that Read admitted he hit O’Keefe – saying “I hit him” – as well as evidence that Read was legally intoxicated or close to it eight hours laterafter she returned home with friends and found the body.
Several witnesses testified that the couple had a stormy relationship that began to turn sour. Prosecutors presented angry messages just hours before O’Keefe’s death. They also played voicemails from Read to O’Keefe that were left after she allegedly hit him, including one left minutes later saying, “John, I (expletive) hate you.”
Defense attorneys sought to poke holes in the police investigation, noting that Albert’s home was never searched for signs of a fight involving O’Keefe and that the crime scene was not guaranteed. They suggested that some evidence — such as pieces of his SUV’s broken taillight, a broken glass and even a strand of hair — was planted by police.
A turning point in the trial occurred when the lead investigator, State Trooper Michael Proctor, took a position. He acknowledged sending offensive texts about Read to friends, family and fellow soldiers during the investigation. He apologized for the language he used but insisted they had no influence on the investigation.
In his texts, he called Read various names, including “crazy.” At one point, he texted his sister saying he wished Read would “kill himself,” which he told jurors was a figure of speech. And despite having relationships with several witnesses, he remained on the case.
Two experts hired by the U.S. Department of Justice during an investigation into the police handling of the case testified for the defense, providing a scientific analysis to conclude that O’Keefe’s injuries and the physical evidence did not synchronize with the prosecution’s theory that he was struck and injured by Read’s 7,000-pound (3,175-kilogram) vehicle.
O’Keefe had a significant head wound and other injuries, but did not have significant bruises or broken bones normally associated with being struck by a vehicle at the speed indicated by the SUV’s GPS and on-board computer.
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
