Alleged murderess Karen Read hugged her parents and gave a side eye to her supporters on Monday as the jury in her murder case came back with news that it could not move forward to provide a verdict on Monday.
Trouble started on Friday as the jury sent a note that it was hopelessly deadlocked by mid-day. Judge Beverly Cannone heard from the prosecution and defense then determined that the jury had not deliberated long enough to determine they were hung.
She sent the jury back for lunch, then they worked throughout the day on Friday, ending at 4:15PM with the instructions from Judge Cannone to put the case out of their minds for the weekend.
Monday came and it was much the same as Friday. By midday another note came in and the jury said it was hopelessly divided with strong moral opinions on both sides keeping it from deciding Karen Read’s guilt or innocence. The Judge again sent them back to deliberate after hearing from both sides, using stronger language this time.
By mid-afternoon it was over. A third jury note and the realization that is was not going to happen. The last note from the jury indicated that some felt that the prosecution went over and above proving that Karen Read was guilty on all counts, while others did not believe the evidence that was presented established her guilt.
Read was on trial for hitting Boston Police officer and boyfriend John O’Keefe with her car on the night of January 29, 2022, during a snowstorm and after consuming nine alcoholic beverages in a short period of time.
In the hours that followed the incident, she confessed multiple times that she “hit him” and that she believed that O’Keefe was dead, hit by a snowplow. In the months that followed her defense concocted a story that the incident never happened, instead it was a murder carried out by the Albert and McCabe families with the sole intent to frame Karen Read, “an outsider,” who had previously been friendly with both families.
The prosecution’s case was hampered by the snowstorm. No small town was ever prepared for several feet of snow falling during an active crime scene. This led to questions about the investigation, including the use of non-standard materials in handling the crime scene (red plastic solo cups), and putting the investigation in the hands of Michael Proctor, whose questionable activities during the investigation may have doomed the case.
On the other side, Read’s attorneys were aggressive about trying the case in public before the prosecution even had a chance to react. By this time last year, Aidan “Turtleboy” Kearney was brought in to do an aggressive unofficial P.R. campaign for Read.
He was everywhere last year, with his megaphone. Drumming up support through his Turtleboy network, outside of homes of witnesses, and at sporting events featuring the children of witnesses. He would threaten the families with more unwanted attention unless they changed their testimony and admit to murdering O’Keefe.
In the most unusual move of all, he led the defense in the case to take over the “Justice for John O’Keefe” cause and accused O’Keefe’s own family of being traitors as they did not believe in the innocence of Karen Read.
Despite Kearney ultimately being disassociated from the Read camp over felony witness intimidation charges for the last six months, the strategy worked. Hundreds of people were on the streets of Canton, MA, yesterday screaming their support for Karen Read while a handful of counter protestors were shouted down by the mob.
In the aftermath of the verdict, the Commonwealth announced that they would be retrying Read for the crimes. Judge Cannone set a status hearing for what comes next for July 22, 2024.
State Trooper Michael Proctor was relieved of his duties by the Boston State Police on Monday soon after the verdict was announced. The internal affairs investigation into his actions during the Read case continues.
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