Karen Read walks free after judge declares mistrial after jury fails to reach verdict in murder case

In the high-profile Karen Read case, a mistrial was declared after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision after eight weeks of testimony and five days of deliberations.

Read went on trial after being charged with killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, in 2022 by hitting him with her SUV and leaving him for dead outside in a snowstorm, a case that drew widespread attention from crime buffs, conspiracy theorists and Read supporters in pink T-shirts.

On Monday, Read’s two-month trial came to an end when the judge announced a mistrial. Prosecutors announced that they plan to reconsider the case.

“Our perspectives on the evidence are sharply divided,” the jury wrote in a memo to Judge Beverly Cannone on Monday. “The deep division is not due to lack of effort or diligence, but rather to sincere adherence to our individual moral principles and beliefs. Further deliberation would be futile.”

Just before lunch, the jury found they had no agreement, but the judge sent them back to try to reach a decision.

“Despite our commitment to the duty entrusted to us, we are deeply divided by fundamental differences in our opinions and state of mind,” the first memo said. “The divergences in our views are not rooted in a lack of understanding or effort, but in the deeply held beliefs that each of us carries, which ultimately lead to a point where consensus is unattainable.”

The jury said for the first time Friday it was unable to decide whether Read was liable for O’Keefe’s murder.

During the trial, the state argued that Read ran over O’Keefe, killing him after their relationship deteriorated. However, the defense argued that O’Keefe was killed in a fight with others and Read was framed for the murder.

Prosecutors argued that Read dropped off O’Keefe, 46, at a house party in Canton hosted by fellow police officer Brian Albert after a night of partying, hit him while making a U-turn and drove away, leaving him to die in the snow .

According to witnesses, she allegedly returned several hours later and found O’Keefe’s body covered in snow in the front seat of the car. She was heard repeatedly shouting “I hit him, I hit him” as first responders arrived on the scene.

Read’s defense attorney, however, argued 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 connections with local and state police put an end to their investigation.

“Ladies and gentlemen, there was a cover-up in this case, plain and simple,” Jackson said during his closing argument.

The defense also argued that investigators focused on Read because she was a “convenient outsider” who did not have to consider other suspects, including Albert and other law enforcement officers who were at the party.

A jury of six men and six women deliberated behind closed doors in the Norfolk County Superior Court, while a “sidewalk jury” of true crime bloggers and Read supporters met outside for several days.

Many people have become interested in the case thanks to the online blog run by Aidan Kearney, also known as Turtleboy, who relentlessly disputes the accusation. He was also accused of abusing witnesses. Kearney has been charged with witness intimidation and conspiracy, which he denies.