<![CDATA[Tag: Karen Read – NECN]]> https://www.necn.com/https://www.necn.com/tag/karen-read/ Copyright 2024 https://media.necn.com/2019/09/NECN_On_Light-@3x-1.png?fit=354%2C120&quality=85&strip=all NECN https://www.necn.com en_US Wed, 07 Aug 2024 02:08:42 -0400 Wed, 07 Aug 2024 02:08:42 -0400 NBC Owned Television Stations Karen Read jury: DA's office confirms hearing not guilty claim from purported juror https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-jury-prosecutors/3298951/ 3298951 post 9659528 Getty Images https://media.necn.com/2024/07/GettyImages-2150329969.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,196 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Fri, Aug 02 2024 11:58:36 AM
State troopers linked to Karen Read case face investigation: What we know https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-case-update-2/3289806/ 3289806 post 9719827 NBC10 Boston https://media.necn.com/2024/07/1379.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,169 Weeks after the Karen Read murder trial ended, the fallout continues, with two more Massachusetts State Police troopers — who testified — under an internal investigation.

The internal investigation likely stems from testimony during the Read trial, when lead investigator, trooper Michael Proctor, was on the stand testifying about derogatory text messages he sent to other troopers about Read.

Those texts led to him being suspended without pay.

Now, two of Proctor’s supervisors, Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik and Det. Lt. Brian Tully, are the subjects of an active internal affairs investigation. Both currently remain on full duty.

State police would not elaborate, but in court, Proctor admitted Bukhenik was part of that group text chain and was also identified in court as one of his supervisors.

Tully is one of the supervisors of the detective unit at the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office.

NBC10 Boston legal analyst Michael Coyne said these investigations make an already challenging retrial case for the Commonwealth that much harder.

“I think this case has revealed a lot of flaws within law enforcement that now, once revealed, that the Mass. State Police don’t have a choice but to investigate further and make sure that at the end of the day they have rectified whatever problems that were existing within their ranks and that the same problems aren’t repeated in the future,” said Coyne.

There was an investigation into a third trooper, Lt. John Fanning, but state police said the allegations against him were determined to be unfounded.

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Wed, Jul 24 2024 09:01:11 AM
More state troopers with connections to Karen Read case under investigation https://www.necn.com/news/local/more-state-troopers-with-connection-to-karen-read-case-under-investigation/3289518/ 3289518 post 9718929 NBC10 Boston https://media.necn.com/2024/07/Yuri-Bukhenik-Brian-Tully-072324.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,169 Massachusetts State Police announced Tuesday that they were investigating three troopers, two of whom testified at the Karen Read murder trial.

Det. Lt. Brian Tully, Lt. John Fanning and Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik “are each the subject of an active internal affairs investigation,” the department told NBC10 Boston Tuesday. Tully and Bukhenik were both called to the stand last month during the lengthy trial.

All three troopers remain on active duty, state police said. Just a short time later, the department said that the allegations against Fanning were determined to be “unfounded” and that the investigation into him was “closed.”

State police declined to give further information about the investigation Tuesday.

Read was charged with murder in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, in January of 2022. He was found outside the Canton home of Brian Albert, another Boston police officer. Prosecutors argued Read hit him with her SUV and left him for dead, while the defense claimed she was framed in a wide-ranging coverup.

Before the trial began, state police confirmed Trooper Michael Proctor was also the subject of an internal investigation. After a mistrial was declared — and after his testimony revealed the texts he sent while investigating Read for O’Keefe’s death — he was ultimately suspended without pay.

In what became a flashpoint in the trial, Proctor acknowledged sending family members, friends and fellow members of the state police, including supervisors, what he said were “unprofessional and regrettable” texts about Read.

Reading out loud on the witness stand, he admitted calling Read “a whack job … c***” while he was investigating her.

When a friend said they were “sure the owner of the house will receive some s***,” Proctor replied, “Nope, homeowner is a Boston cop, too.”

Proctor texted his sister, referring to Read, “Hopefully she kills herself.”

In one of the more damning texts, Proctor said while going through Read’s phone, he had found “no nudes so far.” Proctor said in court that Fanning and Bukhenik were among the troopers in that conversation.

“Trooper Fanning and Trooper Bukhenik are your supervisors?” defense attorney Alan Jackson asked Proctor, to which he replied, “Yes.”

Shortly after announcing the internal investigation, state police gave an update that allegations against Fanning could not be proven or disproven.

“The Department’s internal affairs investigation determined that there was insufficient evidence to prove or disprove the allegation that Lieutenant Fanning violated rules and regulations by failing to uphold the responsibilities of a supervisory member,” the department wrote. “This allegation has been classified as unfounded.”

NBC10 Boston legal analyst Michael Coyne said he was surprised state police didn’t announce investigations of other troopers around the same time Proctor was put on leave. He added that this could lead to the revelation of other texts and emails that were not admitted as evidence at trial.

“You’ve got supervisors, at that point, involved and hearing this exchange and not reprimanding him whatsoever with respect to it,” Coyne said.

The testimony of Bukhenik, who investigated the case with Proctor, also raised questions under cross-examination about inverted video of Read’s SUV at the Canton Police Department’s sallyport.

Tully defended investigators’ decision not to search Albert’s home when he testified.

“I have evidence that he was outside, but I don’t have anything putting him inside the residence,” he said on the stand.

Security expert Todd McGhee, a former trooper with the Massachusetts State Police, says this is not a good look for the department.

“They’re going to take a hard look at this and make some very, very specific actions to make a statement and to, again, restore that public trust,” McGhee said.

As the state plans to retry Read in January, the development could have an impact.

“I significantly see a change on behalf of the prosecution,” McGhee said. “All of this all of this fallout is going to minimize their case and strengthen the defense’s case.”

“When it’s a handful of people potentially facing disciplinary action by the time the next trial comes up, that makes a challenging case perhaps even impossible for the commonwealth to succeed in proving all the charges beyond a reasonable doubt,” Coyne said.

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Tue, Jul 23 2024 07:08:57 PM
New timeline in the Karen Read case: What we've learned about the next steps https://www.necn.com/news/local/new-timeline-in-the-karen-read-case-what-we-learned-monday-about-the-next-steps/3288649/ 3288649 post 9659537 NBC10 Boston https://media.necn.com/2024/07/karen-read-mistrial.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 Karen Read made a brief court appearance on Monday to set dates going forward for the high-profile murder case against her involving her Boston police officer boyfriend that ended in a mistrial earlier this month.

Read is accused of ramming into John O’Keefe with her SUV and leaving him for dead in a snowstorm in January 2022. Her two-month trial ended when jurors declared they were hopelessly deadlocked and a judge declared a mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

The judge will hear oral arguments on a defense motion to dismiss two of the three charges against her on Aug. 9, and a retrial was scheduled for Jan. 27. The court hearing lasted under five minutes.

A boisterous crowd of about 150 people, many dressed in pink and carrying signs claiming Read is innocent, greeted her with cheers as she arrived at court. A smaller group of about a dozen people, dressed in blue, came out in support of O’Keefe.

Here’s what we learned Monday about the new timeline for the case, and what a second trial could look like:

When will the second Karen Read trial take place?

The next hearing in the case will be on Aug. 9, when Judge Beverly Cannone said she will hear oral arguments from both sides on the defense’s motion to dismiss the second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a collision causing death charges.

The defense contends that five jurors have come forward to say that the jury unanimously reached a not guilty verdict on two of the three charges against Read, including murder. The jurors reported being deadlocked only on the remaining charge of manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and trying her again for murder would be unconstitutional double jeopardy, they said.

“It speaks volumes that nobody has come forward to contradict what they said,” defense attorney David Yannetti said outside of court Monday.

The defense also argues Cannone abruptly announced the mistrial without questioning the jurors about where they stood on each of the three charges Read faced and without giving lawyers for either side a chance to comment.

Once Cannone rules on the motion to dismiss, she said she fully expects an appeal to be filed. To provide time for that appeal to be resolved she suggested scheduling the retrial for Jan. 27, 2025, which happens to be two days before the third anniversary of O’Keefe’s death. A final pretrial hearing was also scheduled for Jan. 14.

But the Jan. 27 retrial date could still change, as Yannetti said he has another trial starting several weeks before that and he might not be able to juggle both cases at the same time. Cannone said she will reach out to the judge in Yannetti’s other case to see if something can be worked out that would allow the Jan. 27 date to stand.

Could any of the charges against Karen Read be dismissed?

Two legal experts told NBC10 Boston they think it’s unlikely that either of the charges against Read will be dismissed following the Aug. 9 hearing.

“I think the commonwealth has the stronger leg to stand on in terms of their legal argument,” said Katherine Loftus, a Boston attorney with Loftus & Loftus PC. “Sometimes it’s difficult to differentiate between what it seems would be the most fair and what the law actually requires. What it would require the judge to do if they’re going to call all the witnesses back in to poll the jury is essentialy overstepping the court’s boundaries, and that’s not really what the jury system is about.”

“She probably should have been acquitted on it,” she said of Read. “They should have asked the judge. That they didn’t do that, the law really doesn’t allow us to Monday morning quarterback.”

Michael Coyne, dean of the Massachusetts School of Law, largely agreed.

“Mostly, people say if you’ve got a verdict, let’s figure it out and we’ll go from there. But you really have to think about the sanctity of the jury’s deliberations,” he said. “It’s hard enough to get people to serve on a jury. If you open the door to this where we’re going to quiz you about internal conversations… That’s a no-no, Massachusetts law is clear, unless it’s about racial bias, unless the jury was prejudiced from the outset.”

Will Alan Jackson return for the second trial?

NBC10 Boston’s Eli Rosenberg said he confirmed Monday with Yannetti that defense attorney Alan Jackson will return for Read’s second trial.

There had been some talk about whether Jackson would be back, and the fact that he was not in attendance for Monday’s hearing only fueled that speculation.

What could the prosecution’s strategy be?

Coyne said he thinks the prosecution will look to pare down its witness list in the second trial. Over 50 witnesses were called by the commonwealth the first time around.

“Trim the case, get the fat out of the case, don’t focus as much on what the defendant’s case is about — the alleged conspiracy and all of that,” he said. “Focus on the details of your case — the excessive drinking, the snowy, snowy night and driving under those conditions and ultimately his death was caused by the defendant, as they see it. That has to be much tighter if they want to get a conviction on vehicular manslaughter.”

Coyne said he thinks the prosecution will bring all three charges again, assuming there is no dismissal, though he believes it would be a better strategy to drop the murder charge and focus on the other two counts.

What could the defense’s case look like?

“Well they’ve definitely got a big job to do as well,” Coyne said, especially since it appears the jury in the first trial was leaning in favor of guilty on the manslaughter charge.

“What they have to do is focus on the reasonable doubt aspect of the case,” he said. “Again, you’ve got a snowy night, accidents happen on snowy nights, you have a scapegoat, as they see it. I wouldn’t pitch the broad conspiracy. I’d make it a scapegoat for sloppy police, assembly of evidence and all the work they did and all the mistakes they made. So it was sloppy, and I think the jury would accept that. I think they’d have an easier time selling a reasonable doubt argument and that she’s a scapegoat as opposed to being framed. It sounds like a technical difference, but I do think that’s a big difference. I’m not sure the jury bought the argument that there was a massive conspiracy here.”

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Tue, Jul 23 2024 08:50:13 AM
Hundreds gather outside court ahead of Karen Read hearing https://www.necn.com/news/local/hundreds-gather-outside-court-ahead-of-karen-read-status-hearing/3288091/ 3288091 post 9714178 https://media.necn.com/2024/07/karenreadrally.png?fit=291,203&quality=85&strip=all Hundreds of people gathered outside the courthouse in Dedham, Massachusetts, on Monday ahead of a status hearing in the ongoing case of Karen Read, accused of ramming into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV and leaving him for dead in a snowstorm in January of 2022.

Dozens of Read supporters were present, and about 20 opposing supporters of John O’Keefe also waited outside of court.

Earlier this month, Judge Beverly Cannone declared a mistrial after five days of deliberations when the jury couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict following a two-month trial.

Read arrived at court about 10 minutes prior to Monday’s scheduled 2 p.m. hearing along with her lawyers and several security guards.

Monday’s hearing lasted only a matter of minutes, with Cannone setting a tentative retrial date for Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Jan. 14, and a hearing is scheduled for Aug. 9 to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the case.

It became a common occurrence during the final weeks of Read’s first trial for large groups of her supporters to gather outside the courtroom, often dressed in pink. On several occasions, people opposing Read also showed up, leading to a series of conflicts.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe, a 16-year member of the Boston police who was found outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found O’Keefe died of hypothermia and blunt force trauma.

The defense argued that O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Mon, Jul 22 2024 02:02:40 PM
Dates set for Karen Read's retrial, hearing on dismissing 2 counts https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-live-stream/3287654/ 3287654 post 9714225 NBC10 Boston via pool https://media.necn.com/2024/07/karen-read-retrial-date.png?fit=300,169&quality=85&strip=all Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Mon, Jul 22 2024 06:40:17 AM
Netflix announces documentary series focused on Karen Read murder trial https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-netflix-documentary/3286529/ 3286529 post 9659537 NBC10 Boston https://media.necn.com/2024/07/karen-read-mistrial.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Fri, Jul 19 2024 02:53:13 PM
Karen Read jury list impounded indefinitely as juror says, ‘I am frightened' https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-jury-list-order/3285281/ 3285281 post 9661344 Getty Images https://media.necn.com/2024/07/GettyImages-2159617414.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,204 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Thu, Jul 18 2024 12:44:16 PM
Karen Read's lawyers keep up push for 2 charges to be dismissed https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-defense-filing-motion-dismiss/3283208/ 3283208 post 9661344 Getty Images https://media.necn.com/2024/07/GettyImages-2159617414.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,204 The latest update in the Karen Read legal saga was filed Tuesday, with the woman’s lawyers continuing to argue that two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, should be dismissed.

Before detailing the “several clear fallacies” in the prosecution’s argument against dismissing the charges, Read lawyer Martin Weinberg noted in the Norfolk Superior Court filing that their opposition didn’t dispute their claim that the jury was ready to unanimously find Read not guilty on the two charges in question.

It’s not immediately clear when the dispute may be resolved. The sides are due for a hearing next week, when the date of Read’s retrial is set.

The new dispute began last week, after Judge Beverly Cannone declared a mistrial in the case. Read’s lawyers said the jury would have voted unanimously to find her not guilty on charges, including murder, citing the direct testimony of two jurors and what they’d heard from others on the thinking of two more jurors. They asked Cannone to dismiss both the charges, saying that re-trying her on them would amount to double jeopardy.

The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office opposed the motion, saying in a court filing Friday that the defense’s argument was “premised upon hearsay, conjecture, and legally inappropriate reliance as to the substance of jury deliberations.”

They also argued that “the jury’s communications to the court explicitly indicated an impasse on all charges,” and that Read’s lawyers had the chance before the mistrial was declared to ask that Cannone inquire what charge or charges the jury was deadlocked on, but didn’t take it.

In Tuesday’s filing, the defense said that they were not given the chance to be heard on a mistrial being declared — Cannone declared it without warning or soliciting objections, Weinberg writes.

“The record reflects no discussion of any such alternatives, including, importantly, inquiry regarding whether the jury had reached an impasse on all, as contrasted to just some of the counts,” he said.

Read was charged with murder in the second degree, manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor and leaving a scene of personal injury and death. She pleaded not guilty, and a mistrial was declared last week after a long trial that attracted international attention. Her team claims she was framed for the killing.

Legal expert Peter Elikann, a criminal defense attorney in Massachusetts, said last week that if the jury did reach a verdict on two of the charges, it was unknown why they didn’t say so. He called the back-and-forth in legal filings “extremely unusual.”

“It would be interesting, at some point, if we could find out what went wrong here, why the jury, if this is true, did not understand that they could have made individual decisions on the individual counts, and it was not all or nothing,” Elikann said.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Tue, Jul 16 2024 01:33:28 PM
Things to know about the Karen Read murder case, which could go to a retrial​ https://www.necn.com/news/local/things-to-know-about-the-karen-read-murder-case-which-could-go-to-a-retrial/3280580/ 3280580 post 9652664 Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via Getty Images https://media.necn.com/2024/06/GettyImages-2156648346.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

]]>
Sat, Jul 13 2024 08:27:49 AM
Karen Read prosecutors push back on jury claims https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-prosecutors-push-back-on-jury-claims/3280577/ 3280577 post 9659537 NBC10 Boston https://media.necn.com/2024/07/karen-read-mistrial.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Sat, Jul 13 2024 07:23:30 AM
‘Hearsay': Prosecution in Karen Read case opposes motion to dismiss charges https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-prosecution-charges-reply/3280046/ 3280046 post 9659537 NBC10 Boston https://media.necn.com/2024/07/karen-read-mistrial.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have filed their response to the defense’s request to dismiss two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office opposes the motion, saying in a court filing Friday it’s “premised upon hearsay, conjecture, and legally inappropriate reliance as to the substance of jury deliberations.”

Read’s lawyers have said that they heard directly from a pair of jurors, and from others on the thinking of two more jurors, that the jury would have voted unanimously to find her not guilty on charges, including murder.

But prosecutors said in their new filing that “the jury’s communications to the court explicitly indicated an impasse on all charges.” They also noted that Read’s lawyers never requested that Judge Beverly Cannone inquire what charge or charges the jury was deadlocked on.

Read was charged with murder in the second degree, manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor and leaving a scene of personal injury and death. She pleaded not guilty, and a mistrial was declared last week after a long trial that attracted international attention. Her team claims she was framed for the killing.

Read’s legal team said Friday they were working on a “strong reply” to the prosecution to be filed next week.

Legal expert Peter Elikann, a criminal defense attorney in Massachusetts, said that if the jury did reach a verdict on two of the charges, it was unknown why they didn’t say so. He called the back-and-forth in legal filings “extremely unusual.”

“It would be interesting, at some point, if we could find out what went wrong here, why the jury, if this is true, did not understand that they could have made individual decisions on the individual counts, and it was not all or nothing,” Elikann said.

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Fri, Jul 12 2024 12:25:31 PM
‘Turtleboy' blogger in court for multiple hearings Thursday https://www.necn.com/news/local/turtleboy-blogger-in-court-for-multiple-hearings-thursday/3278820/ 3278820 post 9686390 https://media.necn.com/2024/07/turtle-boy-court-hearing.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,169 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

]]>
Thu, Jul 11 2024 10:21:53 AM
Defense: New juror says Karen Read would have been acquitted on 2 charges https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-fourth-juror/3277967/ 3277967 post 9645479 Getty Images https://media.necn.com/2024/06/GettyImages-2158633204-e1719860421364.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,191 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Wed, Jul 10 2024 12:06:19 PM
State police union says suspension of Proctor without pay is ‘disappointing' https://www.necn.com/news/canton-karen-read-case/state-police-union-says-suspension-of-proctor-without-pay-is-disappointing/3277595/ 3277595 post 9605213 NBC10 Boston https://media.necn.com/2024/06/karen-read-trial-taillight-michael-proctor.png?fit=300,169&quality=85&strip=all Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Tue, Jul 09 2024 09:38:29 PM
Why wasn't the jury polled in the Karen Read trial? https://www.necn.com/news/local/why-wasnt-the-jury-polled-in-the-karen-read-trial/3277008/ 3277008 post 8781340 Getty Images/Mint Images RF https://media.necn.com/2023/07/GettyImages-1129134058.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 Jurors in the trial of Karen Read unanimously concluded she was not guilty of murder or of leaving the scene of a deadly accident, and were deadlocked on only the remaining manslaughter charge before the judge abruptly declared a mistrial, her defense team said Monday.

The disclosure was made in a defense motion Monday in which they argued that retrying Read on those two counts “would violate” the double jeopardy protections in the U.S. and Massachusetts constitutions. If the court needs additional information, the defense said, it should approve a “post-verdict inquiry” in which they are allowed to “seek additional proof from the jurors” regarding their having “unanimously acquitted the defendant of two of the three charges against her.”

So why wasn’t the jury polled by Judge Beverly Cannone before she declared a mistrial?

We asked legal expert Michael Coyne, dean of the Massachusetts School of Law, that exact question during Monday night’s episode of “Canton Confidential.”

“Generally, they don’t want, the court doesn’t want the jury polled,” he said. “They don’t want to invade the jury’s space, in essence to ask them to reject their conscious decision individually.”

“She could have asked them generally, ‘Do you all agree that you can’t reach a verdict on count one, do you all agree you can’t reach a unanimous verdict on count two,'” Coyne added. “But you would’ve wanted to do it generally like that to the entire veneer, and not just individually ask each juror what their vote was, because that can be an intimidating tactic if they had chosen that route, and it’s not just disfavored, it’s not supposed to be done under the law.”

Following Monday’s defense filing, Cannone also ordered that the names of the jurors in the case not be released. In making her ruling, she said there “is a risk of immediate and irreparable injury should the list be made available to the public at this time.”

She did not specify the potential risk but said that people associated with the case had been charged with intimidation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Tue, Jul 09 2024 10:18:08 AM
Why was Trooper Proctor suspended? A look back at his offensive texts about Karen Read https://www.necn.com/news/local/why-was-trooper-proctor-suspended-a-look-back-at-his-offensive-texts-about-karen-read/3276933/ 3276933 post 9611236 https://media.necn.com/2024/06/image-2024-06-12T103018.375.png?fit=300,169&quality=85&strip=all Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Tue, Jul 09 2024 09:15:08 AM
Karen Read's defense team raises concerns about jury https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-case-update/3276854/ 3276854 post 9645385 Photo by Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images https://media.necn.com/2024/06/GettyImages-2158633161.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,191 With the Karen Read murder case heading back to court at some point, the defense is looking to dismiss some of the charges against her.

Read’s lawyers argue the jury did unanimously agree that she was not guilty of two of three charges, despite the judge declaring the high-profile case a mistrial.

The two charges Read’s defense are contesting are second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death. They claim they were contacted by three jurors who said the entire jury all agreed Read was not guilty of those two charges during deliberations.

If the prosecution goes through with re-trying this case, which they say they intend on doing, the court has to dismiss those charges because it would be against the constitution to prosecute someone twice for the same crime.

It should be noted that they are not contesting the motor vehicle manslaughter while driving under the influence charge.

“The question is why then wasn’t the form completed at all, because there were spaces, certainly for the second-degree murder charge for them to have checked off not guilty, but that wasn’t done on the form returned to the court,” said legal analyst Michael Coyne.

Meanwhile, the names of jurors in the trial are officially protected due to safety concerns.

“It could mean harm of harassment, intimidation, threats,” explained Robert Cordy, former associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

The names will be withheld from the public for at least 10 days.

As it relates to the motion to dismiss the charges, NBC10 Boston contacted the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office who say they anticipate filing a response and look forward to picking a new trial date on July 22.

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Tue, Jul 09 2024 06:00:59 AM
List of Karen Read jurors impounded under new order from judge https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-jury-list-impounded/3276582/ 3276582 post 9658916 NBC10 Boston https://media.necn.com/2024/07/judge-cannone-karen-read.png?fit=300,169&quality=85&strip=all Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Mon, Jul 08 2024 05:48:01 PM
Karen Read's motion to dismiss: Read lawyers' claims on jury split https://www.necn.com/news/local/read-karen-read-motion-dimiss/3276690/ 3276690 post 9659537 NBC10 Boston https://media.necn.com/2024/07/karen-read-mistrial.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

]]>
Mon, Jul 08 2024 11:31:19 AM
After mistrial, Karen Read moves to dismiss 2 charges, including murder https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-motion-dismiss-murder/3276215/ 3276215 post 9661344 Getty Images https://media.necn.com/2024/07/GettyImages-2159617414.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,204 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

]]>
Mon, Jul 08 2024 10:56:12 AM
Trooper Proctor, lead investigator in Karen Read case, suspended without pay https://www.necn.com/news/local/michael-proctor-duty-state-hearing/3275858/ 3275858 post 9604921 https://media.necn.com/2024/06/michael-proctor.png?fit=300,169&quality=85&strip=all Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Mon, Jul 08 2024 06:05:10 AM
Proctor's duty status hearing set for Monday, Mass. State Police say https://www.necn.com/news/canton-karen-read-case/proctors-duty-status-hearing-set-for-monday-mass-state-police-say/3275222/ 3275222 post 9605198 NBC10 Boston https://media.necn.com/2024/06/michael-proctor-karen-read-taillight.png?fit=300,169&quality=85&strip=all Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

]]>
Fri, Jul 05 2024 05:56:31 PM
Will Trooper Michael Proctor testify in second Karen Read trial, Brian Walshe case? https://www.necn.com/news/local/disciplinary-action-against-trooper-michael-proctor-could-make-brian-walshe-testimony-useless/3273602/ 3273602 post 9664631 Boston Globe via Getty Images https://media.necn.com/2024/07/GettyImages-2156656002.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 Within hours of a mistrial being declared in the Karen Read murder trial, Massachusetts State Police announced that Trooper Michael Proctor, the lead investigator in the case, had been relieved of duty and reassigned from his role as an investigator with the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office.

That’s just the start of a process that is expected to result in a “duty status” hearing to determine his work status during the ongoing internal affairs investigation. His car, gun and gear have been taken away, which is standard practice.

The NBC10 Boston Investigators learned Tuesday that Proctor had been sent to Troop H, but will not be working while he is relieved of duty.

The trooper’s fate with the department will be determined by an internal investigation and the state’s POST Commission, which handles allegations of police misconduct. Sources tell the NBC10 Boston Investigators Proctor is also part of a federal probe looking into the handling of the case.

Security expert Todd McGhee, a former state police trooper, said on Tuesday night’s “Canton Confidential” that if the POST Commission submits Proctor’s name for inclusion on the Brady List, which includes all known issues of police misconduct, it could make any future testimony by him extremely problematic.

“The commonwealth can call him based on his involvement in the first trial, but I think it’s important to understand that the POST Commission is the state agency that will submit police officers who have committed misconduct to the Brady List,” he said. “In this particular case, if Trooper Proctor ends up on the Brady List, essentially any testimony he has in a court of law is useless, to be frank.”

In the past, McGhee said a trooper in a situation similar to Proctor’s would have likely resigned or retired to avoid a worse outcome, but now with the POST Commission there are changes in the guidelines where police officers are licensed. And it would also look bad for state police if Proctor were allowed to step aside quietly.

“The world is watching how this case plays out,” he said. “So I believe there’s going to be very little options available other than what the trial board and the duty status hearing will yield with results.”

McGhee said the punishment could be anywhere from a 30-day suspension all the way up to termination.

The damage done to the Massachusetts State Police as an agency is also considerable, he said.

“We can see where the impact was specifically with the Karen Read trial, but we don’t know about the other trials he’s been a part of in the investigation,” McGhee said. “The other high profile case of course is the Brian Walshe trial. Trials like that we will have to wait to see what the outcome will be. Each and every case has different factors, different evidence. We can only hope there was the utmost of integrity performed with his other investigations, but right now that remains to be seen.”

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Thu, Jul 04 2024 12:14:19 AM
Proctor's state car, gun and gear taken away amid investigation https://www.necn.com/news/canton-karen-read-case/proctors-state-car-gun-and-gear-taken-away-amid-investigation/3273398/ 3273398 post 9605198 NBC10 Boston https://media.necn.com/2024/06/michael-proctor-karen-read-taillight.png?fit=300,169&quality=85&strip=all Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Tue, Jul 02 2024 08:26:51 PM
‘It was devastating': Friend of John O'Keefe reacts to mistrial in Karen Read case https://www.necn.com/news/local/it-was-devastating-friend-of-john-okeefe-reacts-to-mistrial-in-karen-read-case/3273328/ 3273328 post 9663492 Family photo https://media.necn.com/2024/07/It-was-devastating-Friend-of-John-OKeefe-reacts-to-Karen-Read-mistrial.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,169 With a mistrial declared in the case against Karen Read, the people who knew and loved John O’Keefe are left without answers and with a daunting prospect of another high-profile trial ahead.

John Jackson, a longtime friend of O’Keefe, spoke with NBC10 Boston about the outcome of this first trial. He’s upset, but he’s especially concerned about the impact on the O’Keefe family.

“It’s tough to put into a short interview like this, but he was a tremendous man,” Jackson said of O’Keefe. “I met him in college. Best friend college, you know. We did everything together.”

Jackson says he does not look forward to the prospects of a second trial for Karen Read.

”The worst part about this is for the O’Keefes, really. You just feel so bad. You don’t want to see them go through this again. It was devastating.”

Jackson says he’s known the O’Keefe family for years and that they are being treated unfairly, especially online.

“Stop talking about the O’Keeffe in a negative way. Pray for them, support them, do what you can for the O’Keefe family. They just don’t deserve this,” he said.

Jackson says O’Keefe was godfather to his now 16-year-old daughter. The former Boston police officer also raised his own niece and nephew after his sister and brother-in-law passed away.

”It didn’t surprise us at all, but it certainly changed his life in a lot of great ways. Those kids are amazing.”

Jackson owns a ball cap with his friend’s badge number. He says he watched the entire trial and can’t understand how people can ignore the evidence.

”The story was made up by Karen and the defense team. The defense attorneys made up a story and people listening to these defense attorneys like, like whatever they say is gospel. They’re defense attorneys. They’re selling a story and these people bought it.”

Jackson knows Karen Read, but declined to comment on his opinion of her when we asked.

The state has said it intends to retry the case. Meanwhile, the former lead investigator, Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, has been relieved of his duty and reassigned.

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Tue, Jul 02 2024 06:43:01 PM
Gov. Healey says state police ‘made the right decision' by relieving Michael Proctor of duty https://www.necn.com/news/local/gov-healey-says-state-police-colonel-made-the-right-decision-by-relieving-michael-proctor-of-duty/3272917/ 3272917 post 9662168 Getty Images https://media.necn.com/2024/07/healeyspeaks2.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,169 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Tue, Jul 02 2024 11:36:04 AM
What could a second Karen Read trial look like? https://www.necn.com/news/local/what-could-a-second-karen-read-trial-look-like/3272685/ 3272685 post 9661344 Getty Images https://media.necn.com/2024/07/GettyImages-2159617414.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,204 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Tue, Jul 02 2024 08:47:16 AM
What comes next after mistrial in Karen Read murder case? https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-murder-trial-2/3272646/ 3272646 post 9574451 Stuart Cahill/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool https://media.necn.com/2024/05/AP24149637296538.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,226 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Tue, Jul 02 2024 06:19:13 AM
Michael Proctor relieved of duty, state police say after Karen Read mistrial https://www.necn.com/news/canton-karen-read-case/michael-proctor-relieved-of-duty-state-police-say-after-karen-read-mistrial/3272467/ 3272467 post 9605062 NBC10 Boston https://media.necn.com/2024/06/karen-read-case-msp-trooper-michael-proctor.png?fit=300,169&quality=85&strip=all Massachusetts State Police have taken action against Trooper Michael Proctor after a mistrial was declared Monday in the case against Karen Read.

Proctor drew heavy criticism after testifying in the case, for which he served as the lead investigator, revealing a series of inappropriate texts he sent about Read.

“Upon learning today’s result, the Department took immediate action to relieve Trooper Michael Proctor of duty and formally transfer him out of the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office State Police Detective’s Unit,” Col. John Mawn, interim superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, wrote in a statement. “This follows our previous decision to open an internal affairs investigation after information about serious misconduct emerged in testimony at the trial. This investigation is ongoing.”

The trial against Read — accused of killing boyfriend John O’Keefe, a Boston police officer, in 2022 — ended Monday when jurors were unable to reach a verdict. State prosecutors say they intend to retry Read.

O’Keefe was found dying in the snow outside the Canton home of Brian Albert, a fellow officer with the Boston Police Department. Prosecutors argued Read hit him with her SUV and left him to die, while Read’s defense argued she was framed in a coverup involving law enforcement and people inside the home.

Proctor became the lead investigator after state police were called in because Albert has a brother with the Canton Police Department. But Proctor’s own connection with other witnesses were called into question at the trial. Proctor acknowledged that he is close with his sister, Courtney, who is friends with Julie Albert, the homeowner’s sister-in-law.

The trooper came under fire after testifying about texts he sent during the investigation to friends, family members and colleagues, including superiors with the state police.

In them, he called Read a “whack job” and a “c***,” made disparaging remarks about medical conditions, and said he had found “no nudes so far” when going through her phone.

When a friend said they were “sure the owner of the house will receive some s***,” Proctor replied, “Nope, homeowner is a Boston cop, too.”

Some of the trooper’s texts about Read were sent to his wife, Elizabeth Proctor. NBC10 Boston approached the couple outside their Canton home Monday to seek comment about the mistrial.

Both told reporter Kathy Curran to get off their lawn while she was on a public street.

“I fully support my husband,” Elizabeth Proctor said as they were walking inside. “Karen Read is a murderer.”

“Regarding Trooper Michael Proctor being relieved of duty, conduct has consequences,” Read’s attorneys, David Yannetti and Alan Jackson, said in a statement Monday night. “DA [Michael] Morrissey backed this misogynist corrupt cop, and 2 hours after he announced he will pursue a second trial against an innocent woman Karen Read, The Massachusetts State Police announced that Michael Proctor the lead investigator for the Commonwealth has been relieved of duty ‘because of serious misconduct that emerged in testimony at the trial.’ We look forward to another opportunity to reveal the truth about this unjust prosecution. Good Luck.”

On the witness stand, Proctor said his words were “unprofessional and regrettable,” but claimed they had no bearing on the integrity of the investigation.

Following Proctor’s testimony, legal analyst Michael Coyne said on NBC10 Boston that it “likely was fatal to the government’s case, especially as you point out his supervisors were involved in this exchange and didn’t reprimand him in any way, didn’t even stop the conversation from continuing.”

“The fact is it does taint all law enforcement in this case, and a lot of law enforcement hasn’t covered themselves in glory already,” Coyne continued. “So I’m afraid this has put the commonwealth likely in a very fatal position.”

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Mon, Jul 01 2024 08:38:39 PM
Who was on the first Karen Read jury? We may never know https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-jury/3272306/ 3272306 post 9660023 NBC10 Boston, File https://media.necn.com/2024/07/norfolk-superior-court.png?fit=300,169&quality=85&strip=all Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Mon, Jul 01 2024 05:15:30 PM
Karen Read's defense vows to continue fighting charges after mistrial declared https://www.necn.com/news/local/we-have-no-quit-karen-reads-defense-speaks-outside-court-after-judge-declares-a-mistrial/3272184/ 3272184 post 9659660 NBC10 Boston https://media.necn.com/2024/07/Karen-Read-defense-team-outside-court-07012024.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,209 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Mon, Jul 01 2024 03:25:23 PM
Prosecutors say they will re-try Karen Read case after mistrial is declared https://www.necn.com/news/local/prosecutors-say-they-will-re-try-karen-read-case-after-mistrial-is-declared/3272158/ 3272158 post 9659605 Getty Images https://media.necn.com/2024/07/morrissey.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,169 The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office announced that they will re-try the Karen Read case after a mistrial was declared Monday afternoon.

“First, we thank the O’Keefe family for their commitment and dedication to this long process. They maintained sight of the true core of this case — to find justice for John O’Keefe,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement. “The Commonwealth intends to re-try the case.”

The next step in the case will be a status conference scheduled by Judge Beverly Cannone on July 22 at 2 p.m. in Norfolk Superior Court.

A jury foreperson told the judge Friday that they hadn’t reached a unanimous verdict despite an “exhaustive review of the evidence.” They were told to continue deliberating. They did but came back Monday afternoon and said it would be futile to continue.

The jury was tasked with deciding whether prosecutors proved that Read drunkenly and intentionally slammed into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her Lexus SUV and left him to die. The defense challenged the evidence and suggested that one or more law enforcement colleagues killed John O’Keefe, dumped his body outside in a panic, and then framed Read to cover it up.

Read was charged with second-degree murder, punishable in Massachusetts by life in prison with the possibility of parole. She also faced lesser charges of manslaughter while operating a vehicle under the influence, punishable by five to 20 years, and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, punishable by up to 10 years.

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Mon, Jul 01 2024 03:04:11 PM
Read the deadlocked Karen Read jury's note that impressed Judge Cannone https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-deadlocked-jury-note/3271945/ 3271945 post 9658916 NBC10 Boston https://media.necn.com/2024/07/judge-cannone-karen-read.png?fit=300,169&quality=85&strip=all The jury in the Karen Read murder trial remained deadlocked Monday, its fifth day of deliberations, and shared the news with the court in a note the likes of which the judge said she’d never seen before.

In a hearing shortly before reading out the note, Judge Beverly Cannone called the jury “extraordinary.” She later sent the jury back to continue deliberating, after reading what’s known as Tuey-Rodriguez instructions, which Massachusetts judges often read to juries that are at an impasse.

Here is the jury’s full note, as read by Cannone:

Judge Cannone,

Despite our commitment to the duty entrusted in us, we find ourselves deeply divided by fundamental differences in our opinions and state of mind. The divergence in our views are not rooted in a lack of understanding or effort but deeply held convictions that each of us carry, ultimately leading to a point where consensus is unattainable. We recognize the weight of this admissions, and the implications it holds.

In the Tuey-Rodriguez response, Cannone told the jurors that they “should consider that it is desirable that this case be decided,” to trust in their ability to judge the case and that each juror should reconsider their beliefs.

Before the jury received the instructions, Cannone heard arguments from both sides on whether to give the Tuey-Rodriguez instructions, noting, based in part on the note they sent in, that “this has been an extraordinary jury.” She told the lawyers, “I’ve never seen a note like this, reporting to be at an impasse.”

Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally opposed giving the jury additional instructions, saying it’s too soon given they have only been deliberating for 22-23 hours.

“They really haven’t even had one hour of deliberation equivalent to each of the days of testimony they’ve heard,” he said. “So while they have been at it for a while, I would submit that based on the evidence and testimony of witnesses and complexity in this case, I would submit they have not done a throughout deliberation up until this point.”

Defense attorney David Yannetti, on the other hand, said his view was that it was time for Tuey-Rodriguez.

“They’ve come back twice indicating essentially that they’re hopelessly deadlocked,” he said. “They said they’ve been over all the evidence. At this time they say they have fundamental disagreements of what the evidence means. It’s a matter of opinion, it’s not a matter of understanding.”

Cannone ultimately decided it was time.

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Mon, Jul 01 2024 12:10:19 PM
What is a Tuey-Rodriguez charge? How judge is trying to push the trial forward https://www.necn.com/news/local/what-is-a-tuey-rodriguez-charge-how-judge-cannone-is-trying-to-push-trial-forward/3271928/ 3271928 post 9658947 https://media.necn.com/2024/07/Court-shot.png?fit=300,169&quality=85&strip=all The jury in the Karen Read murder case continues to struggle to reach a consensus, writing in a note to Judge Beverly Cannone Monday morning that they are “deeply divided by fundamental differences in our opinions and state of mind.”

Judge Cannone said she had never seen a note like the one she received Monday, and it prompted her to read a set of instructions to the jurors known as the Tuey-Rodriguez charge.

These special instructions are read by a judge at their discretion, when a jury remains in a state of deadlock. The text read by the judge essentially sends jurors back to deliberation with a series of reminders — namely that it is their “duty to decide this case if you can do so conscientiously,” and that there is no reason to believe another set of jurors would be more competent to decide a case.

Footnotes included in the instruction provide some direction as to when they should be read to a jury that cannot decide a verdict. The note states that, “it is appropriate for the judge to give such a charge when a jury is deadlocked, but because it ‘has a certain ‘sting’ to it,’ it should not be given prematurely, and digression from the recommended language is discouraged.”

Judge Cannone read the full text of the charge to the jurors, and sent them back to the deliberation table.

You can read a 2009 copy of the instructions here. The version that Judge Cannone read Monday morning had slight variations to it to make it applicable to the case at hand.

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Mon, Jul 01 2024 12:11:02 PM
Why do people care so much about the Karen Read case? https://www.necn.com/news/local/why-do-people-care-so-much-about-the-karen-read-case/3271625/ 3271625 post 9658254 Boston Globe via Getty Images https://media.necn.com/2024/07/GettyImages-2159008949.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,204 The Karen Read murder trial is one of the most-watched cases in years in Massachusetts. People across the country — and the globe — are tuning in to find out if she’ll be found guilty of killing John O’Keefe.

But what is is about this case in particular that is generating such interest? We asked Brandi Churchwell, host of the “13th Juror Podcast,” for her thoughts during Friday’s episode of NBC10 Boston’s “Canton Confidential,” and she explained that there are multiple reasons.

Read is charged with second-degree murder in the January 2022 death of O’Keefe, her Boston police officer boyfriend. She’s accused of dropping him off at another officer’s house party in Canton, Massachusetts, after a night of drinking, and then hitting him with her SUV and leaving him to die in a snowstorm. Her defense team argues she was framed, and that the evidence shows O’Keefe was beaten up by someone else inside the house, bitten by a dog and left outside.

“I think the first thing that grabs your attention is it’s a female defendant,” Churchwell said. “Female murder defendants are maybe 10-15% of what we see, so an attractive female definitely is the first thing.”

She said the fact that the victim, O’Keefe, was “an attractive Boston cop with a heart of gold” also plays into it, expecially given that he took in his niece and nephew after the death of his brother and sister-in-law.

“And then I think what makes this one so different is that there’s also this alternate theory, and we normally don’t have that. We have the theory that maybe somebody else did it or maybe it was an accident, but a whole different scenario of who’s responsible is something that we normally dn’t have, so many people have gotten really invested in this.”

Adding to the intrigue is the defense argument that the Alberts, owners of the home where O’Keefe was found dead, were involved in some way but used their considerable influence in Canton to steer investigators away from them.

“Especially because it’s this family we’re told is using their political and law enforcement connections to set up this outsider for whatever people think happened,” Churchwell said. “Instead of just, ‘Are they guilty, are they not?’ it’s become ‘Which one of these is guilty?’ and she’s fighting against this system, and then people get emotionally invested in it because it becomes everybody’s fight. They’re looking at her as she’s getting railroaded by the corrupt police system and they want to look at it as this could be me, this could be my family members. People become invested in feeling like they’re fighting with her.”

The tension is even more apparent online, Churchwell said, where people can hide behind their anonymity.

“People have gotten very emotinally invested, and online it’s almost like that protection of being anonymous behind the keyboard and you don’t have to take responsibility for how low you go when fighting I think that has caused a level that goes beyond passion at this point,” she said. “There is a level of almost toxicity where people are so angry and wanting to tell everyone else why their version of what happened is right and anybody else could not possibly have any idea of what’s going on.”

Jurors were scheduled to return to court Monday morning to continue their deliberations.

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Mon, Jul 01 2024 08:52:23 AM
With a mistrial declared, what's next in the Karen Read case? https://www.necn.com/news/local/with-the-jury-deadlocked-whats-next-in-the-karen-read-murder-trial/3271615/ 3271615 post 2144452 https://media.necn.com/2019/09/jury-box-1.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,169 Jurors in the Karen Read murder trial sent a note to Judge Beverly Cannone on Friday saying they had been unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The judge ultimately sent them back to continue deliberating, but it all ended in a mistrial when jurors sent the second note of a day declaring they remained at an impasse.

The state has decided to try the case again. Legal experts say they will streamline their line of questioning and get ready to do this all over again.

What could change for a new trial?

The retrial must begin within one year under state law, but lawyers have reason to move it along faster.

“You do want to move while the evidence is fresh and while witnesses memories are intact,” explained Northeastern Law professor Daniel Medwed.

In this case, a federal investigation is underway and there is an ongoing probe into the former state police lead investigator Michael Proctor. This means much could change between now and the next trial.

“You know that trooper’s testimony really blew up in the commonwealth’s face,” said Suffolk Law professor Rosanna Cavallaro. “If in fact he is suspended or any kind of consequence for his misconduct then that’s going to make it really hard for the commonwealth to decide how to present their case,” she continued.

Just hours after the mistrial was declared, Massachusetts State Police announced they were taking action against Proctor.

“Upon learning today’s result, the Department took immediate action to relieve Trooper Michael Proctor of duty and formally transfer him out of the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office State Police Detective’s Unit,” Col. John Mawn, interim superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, wrote in a statement. “This follows our previous decision to open an internal affairs investigation after information about serious misconduct emerged in testimony at the trial. This investigation is ongoing.”

The expense of another trial

“There could be a lot of things that happen in the interim. On the defense side as well because finances are going to pose a problem,” NBC10 Boston Legal Analyst Michael Coyne said.

Legal experts say trying a high-profile case like this won’t be cheap.

“The first trial was an enormous expense. The next one will probably be just as expensive,” Coyne pointed out.

After this trial, can they find an unbiased jury for Karen Read?

The state will also need to find an unbiased jury, which, after the extensive attention the trial received, will prove challenging.

“I think it’s going to be hard to find a jury and even harder after a case like this but not impossible,” Medwed said.

“I think you’re gonna be surprised at just how easy it is to find people who are living their lives, they’re busy they have other things to do,” Cavallaro said.

Legal experts say we could learn more from the jury about what happened in their deliberations but only they decide to speak out, which could be putting themselves at risk. Because the case ended in a mistrial, the juror list will not be released.

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Mon, Jul 01 2024 08:23:10 AM
Karen Read trial: Divided jury leads to mistrial in murder case https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-verdict-updates-4/3271562/ 3271562 post 9659537 NBC10 Boston https://media.necn.com/2024/07/karen-read-mistrial.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Mon, Jul 01 2024 06:40:59 AM
Jurors return for fifth day of deliberations in Karen Read murder trial on Monday https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-verdict-watch-jurors-return-for-fifth-day-of-deliberations-in-karen-read-murder-trial-on-monday/3271180/ 3271180 post 9622280 AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool https://media.necn.com/2024/06/AP24166488188376.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Sun, Jun 30 2024 10:16:03 AM
Jury to keep deliberating Karen Read's fate Monday after saying they haven't agreed https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-verdict-watch-jurors-unable-to-reach-unanimous-verdict-in-karen-read-murder-trial-before-weekend/3270877/ 3270877 post 9574452 Stuart Cahill/The Boston Herald via AP, Poo https://media.necn.com/2024/05/AP24149516778527.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Sat, Jun 29 2024 07:57:20 AM
Unexpected twist in Karen Read trial: Jury says they can't agree on verdict https://www.necn.com/news/local/unexpected-twist-in-karen-read-trial-jury-says-theyre-unable-to-reach-unanimous-verdict/3270341/ 3270341 post 9653573 https://media.necn.com/2024/06/cannone.png?fit=300,169&quality=85&strip=all Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

]]>
Fri, Jun 28 2024 01:17:03 PM
How long before a mistrial could be declared in the Karen Read trial? https://www.necn.com/news/local/how-long-before-a-mistrial-could-be-declared-in-the-karen-read-trial/3270043/ 3270043 post 9652775 Getty Images https://media.necn.com/2024/06/GettyImages-105865183.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,196 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

]]>
Fri, Jun 28 2024 08:40:06 AM
Anxiety, worry increasing as verdict watch drags on in Karen Read trial https://www.necn.com/news/local/anxiety-worry-increasing-as-verdict-watch-drags-on-in-karen-read-trial/3270009/ 3270009 post 9652739 https://media.necn.com/2024/06/karen1.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,197 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

]]>
Fri, Jun 28 2024 08:07:15 AM
Judge says keep trying after jurors in Karen Read trial say they can't agree on verdict https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-verdict-updates-3/3269988/ 3269988 post 9653636 https://media.necn.com/2024/06/karenreadexits2.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,169 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

]]>
Fri, Jun 28 2024 06:40:09 AM
What does length of deliberations mean for Karen Read verdict? https://www.necn.com/news/canton-karen-read-case/what-do-length-of-deliberations-mean-for-karen-read-verdict/3269657/ 3269657 post 9545441 Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images https://media.necn.com/2024/05/GettyImages-2152368415.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,198 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

]]>
Thu, Jun 27 2024 08:14:21 PM
What is a SERT report, and why did the Karen Read jurors want to see it? https://www.necn.com/news/local/sert-report-requested-by-karen-read-jurors/3268924/ 3268924 post 9645541 Nancy Lane/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool https://media.necn.com/2024/06/AP24177613965168.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,207 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

]]>
Thu, Jun 27 2024 10:49:17 AM
Could we see a hung jury in the Karen Read trial? It happened last year with the same judge https://www.necn.com/news/local/could-there-be-a-hung-jury-in-the-karen-read-trial-it-happened-last-year-with-the-same-judge/3268926/ 3268926 post 9648926 Getty Images https://media.necn.com/2024/06/GettyImages-2158634742.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,191 With jurors entering their third day of deliberations in the Karen Read murder trial, more people are starting to ask whether there could be a hung jury in the controversial case.

If the jury fails to reach either a unanimous or majority verdict after a reasonable time, the judge can declare a hung jury and the case would have to be retried before a new jury.

Prosecutors say Read struck John O’Keefe, her Boston police officer boyfriend, with her SUV and then left the scene in January 2022, leaving him unconscious in the snow after a night of bar hopping. Read’s lawyers argue that she was framed. 

On Wednesday night’s episode of “Canton Confidential,” we asked legal expert Michael Coyne, dean of the Massachusetts School of Law, what the probability of a hung jury is in the Read trial and what that would mean.

“You know, again, this case breaks the mold,” Coyne said. “The fact is there are people — my sister-in-law says it’s a hung jury, others say guilty, others say not guilty — I don’t think we know yet.”

“What we do know is there are people, inside Massachusetts and across the country, who are strongly on one side or the other. If one of those folks is on the jury and feels just as strongly as a lot of people out there and the other 11 are going the other way, you have a hung jury.”

Statistically, Coyne said the chances of a hung jury are relatively low. But Judge Beverly Cannone — the judge presiding over the Read trial — did recently declare one in another recent case.

“But, in fact, if you remember, the last big murder case before Judge Cannone was the one from the Weymouth police officer, and initially that was a hung jury on the murder charge, and they came back and retried him and he was found guilty.”

Coyne was referencing the murder trial of Emanuel Lopes, who was charged in the killings of Weymouth Police Sgt. Michael Chesna and 77-year-old Vera Adams in 2018. Lopes was ultimately found guilty following his second trial earlier this year.

Cannone had declared a mistrial in the original proceedings in July of 2023 after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision after three weeks of testimony and days of deliberation.

“It’s not an anomaly that you’d see a hung jury, especially in a case as contentious as this,” Coyne said. “That may very well be where we’re at, and what that really means is then the government has to try that case again, in all likelihood. Imagine that.”

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Thu, Jun 27 2024 09:31:20 AM
Third day of jury deliberation in Karen Read murder trial ends without verdict https://www.necn.com/news/national-international/karen-read-verdict-updates-2/3268833/ 3268833 post 9649171 https://media.necn.com/2024/06/karenreadleaves2_8b43e2.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,200 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

]]>
Thu, Jun 27 2024 06:21:58 AM
Sea of pink-clad supporters continue to support Karen Read as jury deliberates https://www.necn.com/news/local/sea-of-pink-clad-supporters-continue-to-support-karen-read-as-jury-deliberates/3268078/ 3268078 post 9646043 Getty Images https://media.necn.com/2024/06/GettyImages-2158760406.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,203 A sea of pink surrounds the streets leading to Norfolk Superior Court as the jury in the Karen Read murder trial is in its second day of deliberations.

These Read supporters, who have grown in numbers over the past nine weeks, say they feel a verdict will be coming soon.

“There is no doubt in my mind that this jury is going to bring back a not guilty verdict and exonerate Karen Read,” said Rita Lombardi, a Read supporter.

Stacey Doherty, of Braintree, said, “Everyone’s here for justice. We want answers.”

NBC10 Boston legal analyst Michael Coyne said that while he expects a relatively quick verdict, he thinks the jury will be mindful to weigh all the evidence before reaching a decision – especially knowing the intense amount of interest in this high-profile case.

But he thinks the jury will be hard-pressed to side with the government.

“That reasonable doubt standard is an incredibly hard standard for good reason, and I just think that the jurors are going to have problems getting past some of the various open questions that still exist,” Coyne said.

Many outside the courthouse think that even when this trial is wrapped up, there will continue to be questions. And they say their advocacy for Read and against the prosecution will not end on the sidewalks surrounding the courthouse here in Dedham.

“Norfolk County DA’s office works for us and that’s why they’re here,” Karen Read supporter Marshall Lane said. “We’re letting them know they work for us. We are not in servitude to them, and they cannot strip us of our rights like they’re trying to do to Karen Read.”

This group of supporters said they’ll continue to show up as long as it takes for the jury to reach its verdict.

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Wed, Jun 26 2024 11:43:06 AM
‘This is funny, Ms. Read?' Watch judge snap at Karen Read as jury deliberates https://www.necn.com/news/local/karen-read-is-this-funny-exchange/3268040/ 3268040 post 9645915 NBC10 Boston https://media.necn.com/2024/06/karen-read-is-this-funny.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=300,169 Prosecutors in the Karen Read case have acknowledged hearing from purported jurors in the high-profile case, at least one of whom said that, before a mistrial was declared, the jury agreed Read was not guilty of two of the three charges against her in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

But the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said in its filings that it was “ethically prohibited” from discussing deliberations with members of the jury, and didn’t pursue further communications with the purported jurors.

Read’s defense has previously said that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. They’ve moved to dismiss the pair of charges in question.

Previously in court filings, prosecutors had called claims from the defense that the jury ever reached any unanimous decision on any of the charges “unsubstantiated” and “sensational.” That was before at least some of the communications outlined in the new filing.

Judge Beverly Cannone is set to hear arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss the two charges — second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a deadly crash — next Friday. She’s noted that she expects whatever decision she makes at the Aug. 9 hearing to be appealed, one indicator of how fraught the case has been.

A person who identified themselves as a juror left two voicemails with Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally, according to the filing, submitted Thursday and recorded by the Norfolk Superior Court Friday.

In the first message, from Sunday, July 21, the person said, “it is true what has come out recently about the jury being unanimous on charges 1 and 3.” In the second message, received five days later, the purported juror said they “can confirm unanimous on charges one and three, as not guilty,” and said that the jury was split 9-3 to find Read guilty on a lower manslaughter charge.

Three other people identifying jurors and saying they wanted to speak anonymously had already emailed the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, according to the new filing. But by July 16, the office sent emails replying that they were “ethically prohibited from inquiring as to the substance of your jury deliberations,” and continuing on to say that the office couldn’t promise to keep the communications confidential.

Prosecutors didn’t respond to the purported juror who called, citing the same reason, according to their filing. Read the filing here:

NBC10 Boston is reaching out to Read’s lawyers for comment.

Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.

O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the Canton home of another Boston police officer. An autopsy found the 16-year BPD veteran died of hypothermia and blunt-force trauma.

Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley College, had been out drinking with O’Keefe and others the night before, and prosecutors claim she fatally struck her boyfriend with her SUV before driving off. While she was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving a scene of personal injury and death, her team contends O’Keefe was killed inside the home after Read dropped him off and that those involved chose to frame her because she was a “convenient outsider.”

Read’s two-month trial ended with jurors hopelessly deadlocked. Cannone declared the mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

While the names of jurors are usually released after trials in Massachusetts end, who served on the first Karen Read trial jury remains a mystery. Cannone ordered the names of the jurors not be released indefinitely after one of the jurors filed a motion saying they feared for their own and their family’s safety if the names are made public. The order does not preclude a juror from coming forward and identifying themselves, but so far none have done so.

One “frightened” juror’s portrait of serving on the jury, shared in a legal filing, suggested that the body was aware of the intense interest in the case — they could hear protesting as they deliberated the verdict despite Cannone’s order that protesters be kept 200 feet from the courthouse, and had to be bused to a secret location to maintain their anonymity.

Much of the outrage on the case centered around the vulgar, insulting things the case’s lead investigator, Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted he said about Read as his investigation unfolded. He was later suspended without pay.

Many of Read’s most passionate supporters were convinced she was innocent by blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney, who was arrested before the trial for allegedly intimidating witnesses in the case. He’s denied those allegations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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