Karen Read jury stalemate leads to mistrial in Boston cop’s boyfriend’s death

A judge threw out a mistrial Monday after a jury couldn’t reach an agreement in the case of Karen Read, a woman accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend by hitting him with her SUV and leaving him in a snowstorm. The case has drawn a huge amount of attention from crime buffs, conspiracy theorists and Read supporters in pink T-shirts.

Judge Beverly Cannone scheduled a status hearing for July 22, when the community will decide whether it would like to retry the case. Prosecutors said in a statement that they intend to retry the case.

Attorney Barry Bisson, chairman of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Council, said prosecutors will likely “talk to the family for some time” before taking further action.

“It’s unfortunate for both parties because Ms. Read has to see if the community wants to retry the case, which could mean another nine-week trial,” Bisson said. “Then the victim’s family would have to sit through it all again if the community decides to do so.”

Bisson said the high-profile case’s national notoriety could also complicate future jury selection.

“Nobody can say they haven’t seen or heard about this trial,” he said. “That was all when they were selecting the jury the first time, and now it’s been going on for so long, in the news every day, that probably nobody in the Commonwealth can say they haven’t heard about this case. That’s probably going to make it even harder to select a jury the next time.”

Read, a former associate professor at Bentley College, faces second-degree murder and other charges in the death of Officer John O’Keefe, a 16-year Boston police officer who was found in January 2022 outside the home of another Boston police officer in Canton. An autopsy showed O’Keefe died of hypothermia and blunt force trauma.

Prosecutors said Read and O’Keefe had been drinking heavily before she dropped him off at a party at the home of Brian Albert, a fellow officer. They said she hit him with her SUV and then drove away.

The defense attempted to portray Read as the victim, arguing that O’Keefe was actually killed inside Albert’s home, then dragged outside and left for dead. They argued that investigators focused on Read because she was a “convenient outsider” who saved them from having to consider other suspects, including Albert and other law enforcement officers present at the party.

On Friday, the jury foreman told the judge they had not reached a unanimous verdict despite an “exhaustive review of the evidence.” The judge told jurors to keep trying. On Monday morning, jurors said they were at an impasse, but the judge asked them to continue deliberating. By afternoon, they said continuing would be futile.

“The deep division is not the result of a lack of effort or care, but rather a sincere commitment to our individual moral principles and beliefs,” the jury said in a note read by the judge at the trial.

O’Keefe’s mother cried as the mistrial was announced, while Read hugged her 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 throughout this long process. They kept the true heart of this case in mind — finding justice for John O’Keefe. The commonwealth intends to reconsider this case.”

Attorney Alan Jackson said he and others representing Read will continue to fight.

“They failed. They failed miserably and they will continue to fail. No matter how long it takes, no matter how long they try, we will not stop fighting,” he told reporters outside the courthouse.

Testimony during the two-month trial focused on police misconduct and the relationship between the parties. Police admitted to using red plastic cups to collect blood evidence and a leaf blower to try to clear snow and expose evidence. The lead detective admitted to making vulgar statements about Read in text messages from his private cellphone.

Experts disagreed on whether O’Keefe’s injuries were consistent with being hit by Read’s luxury SUV, which had a broken taillight. The defense argued the injuries were caused by an argument and the family’s aggressive dog, Albert.

Prosecutors cited testimony from several first responders who testified that Read admitted to hitting O’Keefe — saying, “I hit him” — as well as evidence that Read was legally drunk or close to it eight hours later, after she returned home with friends who found the body.

Several witnesses testified that the couple had a turbulent relationship that began to deteriorate. Prosecutors presented angry text messages in the 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 that said, “John, I (expletive) hate you.”

Defense attorneys tried to undermine the police investigation, noting that Albert’s home was never searched for signs of a struggle involving O’Keefe and that the crime scene was not secured. They suggested that some of the evidence — such as pieces of a cracked taillight from her SUV, a broken drinking glass, even a strand of hair — was planted by police.

The turning point in the trial came when the lead investigator, state trooper Michael Proctor, took the stand. He admitted to sending offensive text messages about Read to friends, family and fellow officers during the investigation. He apologized for the language he used but insisted it had no bearing on the investigation.

In his writing, he called Read several names, including “crazy.” At one point, he wrote to his sister that he wished Read would “commit suicide,” which he told jurors was a figure of speech. And despite his relationships with several witnesses, he stuck to the case.

Two forensic experts hired by the U.S. Department of Justice in the investigation into the police handling of the case testified for the defense, presenting scientific analysis supporting their conclusion that O’Keefe’s injuries and the physical evidence did not support the prosecution’s theory that he was struck and injured by Read’s 7,000-pound vehicle.

O’Keefe suffered serious head trauma and other injuries but no major bruising or broken bones, which are typical of accidents caused by a vehicle impact at the speeds indicated by the SUV’s GPS and on-board computer.

As the drama unfolded in the courtroom, dozens of Read supporters dressed in pink gathered outside each day, carrying “Free Karen Read” signs and attacking her as she arrived each day. Drivers honked their horns to show their support. A smaller group of people also showed up to convict Read.

Mary McManus, a longtime Canton resident and retired teacher, considered Canton a “sleepy town.” But she said the case has galvanized residents to make their voices heard, and once-peaceful town meetings have turned contentious.

“It’s depressing to know that we have to start this process over again, but in a way it’s also good because it’s eye-opening,” she said. “That people in the city are looking at what’s going on and taking a more active role in the process.”

Heather Fairfield, a property manager who has lived in Canton for 50 years, said the community of about 24,000 has been divided by the “polarizing” issue, with many residents afraid to speak up for fear of being ostracized or alienating neighbors.

She said she was concerned about how the crime scene was secured by Canton police, who used a leaf blower to clear snow from the scene and collected evidence in red plastic cups and paper bags, according to testimony from Canton police Lt. Paul Gallagher.

“Quite frankly, the biggest problem we have here is that the police department broke the trust of the community by not handling this investigation properly,” Fairfield said. “And because they broke the trust of the people of this town by not doing what they should have done, the people of this town have now broken trust with each other because people feel forced to take sides.”

Suspicions of police corruption following O’Keefe’s death prompted residents to vote for an independent audit of the police department last November. In January, internal communications confirmed an ongoing federal investigation into the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office.

Fairfield said the chaos caused by the case has undermined Canton residents’ trust in authorities and the police.

“It’s personal because I have to live in this city,” she said. “Now I have to worry that if something happens to someone close to me, this is how they’re going to investigate, with this level of carelessness.”

GBH News reporter Tori Bedford provided reaction from attorney Barry Bisson and Canton residents.