By Michael Casey and Patrick Whittle
Related Press
DEDHAM, Mass. — A jury discovered Karen Read not responsible of second-degree homicide Wednesday within the demise of her Boston police officer boyfriend however responsible of a lesser cost of drunken driving.
The jury handed down its resolution after deliberating for at the very least 22 hours since June 13.
The decision within the polarizing and extremely watched case comes almost a yr after a separate jury deadlocked over Learn’s involvement within the January 2022 death of John O’Keefe and resulted in a choose declaring a mistrial.
| READ NEXT: A cautionary tale: The Karen Read trial and an investigator’s text messages
It’s an enormous victory for Learn’s attorneys, who’ve lengthy asserted she was framed by police after dropping O’Keefe off at a celebration on the residence of a fellow officer. Prosecutors argued the 45-year-old Learn hit O’Keefe, 46, along with her SUV earlier than driving away, however the protection maintained O’Keefe was killed inside the house and later dragged exterior.
Learn confronted prices of second-degree homicide, manslaughter and leaving the scene exterior Boston. A second-degree homicide conviction would have carried a life sentence.
Very like throughout the first trial, attorneys spent months presenting their case, that includes a whole lot of items of proof and dozens of witnesses.
Learn’s protection stated O’Keefe was overwhelmed, bitten by a canine, then left exterior a house within the Boston suburb of Canton in a conspiracy orchestrated by the police that included planting proof.
“His shift is over, he’s taken off his gear,” stated Brooklyn Park PD Chief Mark Bruley. “…He appears to be like at a pair officers, and says, ‘Hey, simply to be protected, why don’t you go up and simply test on Hortman’s home?’”
Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies labored to de-escalate for 40 minutes as the person stood in a pond and refused to come back out; a deputy then used the lasso to take him into custody
After Albuquerque Police Ok-9 Insurgent wrestled a suspect to the bottom, the suspect grabbed him by the neck in an try to make use of him as a defend earlier than pointing a gun at officers
Prosecutors have described Learn as a scorned lover who selected to depart O’Keefe dying within the snow after hanging him along with her SUV exterior the home get together.
It’s the state’s second try and convict Learn. The primary Learn trial ended July 1 in a mistrial resulting from a hung jury.
The state’s case was led by particular prosecutor Hank Brennan, who known as fewer witnesses than prosecutor Adam Lally, who ran the primary trial towards Learn.
Describing O’Keefe as a “good man” who “helped folks,” Brennan instructed jurors throughout closing arguments that O’Keefe wanted assist that night time and the one one that might present it was Learn. As an alternative, she drove away in her SUV.
“She was drunk. She hit him and he or she left him to die,” he stated.
Protection legal professional Alan Jackson rejected the concept that there was ever a collision in any respect. He and the protection known as ahead knowledgeable witnesses who agreed.
“There isn’t any proof that John was hit by a automobile. None. This case must be over proper now, performed, as a result of there was no collision,” Jackson stated throughout closing arguments.
