Jury Deadlocks in Karen Read Murder Trial: Unable to Reach Verdict in Boston Police Officer's Death Case

Dedham, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, USA United States of America
Jury deadlocked and unable to reach a verdict in the Karen Read murder trial.
Karen Read is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene where there has been personal injury and death in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police officer John O'Keefe.
Karen Read murder trial began on June 24, 2024.
Prosecution alleged that Read killed O'Keefe by backing into him with a car and leaving him to die.
The defense team for Read argued that others have colluded to frame her for O'Keefe's murder.
The trial has attracted national attention and daily protests outside the courtroom.
Jury Deadlocks in Karen Read Murder Trial: Unable to Reach Verdict in Boston Police Officer's Death Case

The Karen Read murder trial, which began on June 24, 2024, in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, has reached a critical juncture as the jury reportedly signaled that they are deadlocked and unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The jury has been deliberating since Tuesday and was expected to deliver their decision on Thursday. However, after receiving a note from the jurors stating that they were unable to decide, Judge Beverly Cannone instructed them to continue deliberations.

Karen Read is on trial for three charges in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police officer John O'Keefe on January 29, 2022 - second degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene where there has been personal injury and death. The jury had to weigh evidence presented by both sides in order to reach a verdict.

The defense team for Read argued that others have colluded to frame her for O'Keefe's murder, while the prosecution alleged that Read killed O'Keefe by backing into him with a car and leaving him to die. The jury had been deliberating since Tuesday, but after several days of intense deliberations, they reportedly signaled that they were deadlocked.

The trial has attracted national attention and daily protests outside the courtroom from both sides. Some people believe that Read is innocent and being framed by law enforcement families. Others believe that O'Keefe was a victim of a senseless act of violence.

Growing up in Blacksburg, Virginia, and Taunton, Massachusetts, Read attended Coyle & Cassidy, a now-closed private Roman Catholic school. She earned undergraduate and master's degrees in finance at Bentley University. Before the trial, Read had a successful career as a financial analyst and adjunct professor at Bentley College.

The jury was instructed to continue deliberating on Friday after receiving the note from the jurors stating that they were deadlocked. The trial is expected to resume next week.



Confidence

75%

Doubts
  • Are there any recent studies or reports that could affect the jury's decision?
  • Is there a possibility of a mistrial or retrial if the jury cannot reach a unanimous verdict?

Sources

97%

  • Unique Points
    • Karen Read is on trial for three charges in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police officer John O’Keefe on January 29, 2022 - second degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene where there has been personal injury and death.
    • Jury in Karen Read trial is deadlocked and unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
    • Judge Beverly Cannone sent the jury back to continue deliberating after receiving a note from them stating they were unable to decide.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

96%

  • Unique Points
    • Read had a successful career as a financial analyst and adjunct professor at Bentley College before the trial.
    • Grew up in Blacksburg, Virginia, and Taunton, Massachusetts. Attended Coyle & Cassidy, a now-closed private Roman Catholic school, and earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in finance at Bentley University.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The article contains several instances of appeals to authority and inflammatory rhetoric, but no formal or dichotomous fallacies are present. The author reports on the statements made by the judge and attorneys in the trial without making any logical errors. However, some of the language used could be considered inflammatory or emotionally charged, such as 'exhaustive review', 'deadlocked jurors', and 'heavy drinking'. These do not constitute formal fallacies but may influence readers' perceptions of the case.
    • ][The jury has indicated ]they've exhausted all manner of compromise, all manner of persuasion, and they're at ... this impasse.[/]
    • [The jury received this case earlier this week]. They’ve had slightly shorter days, and I’m not in any way, shape, or form suggesting that they haven’t conducted their due diligence in regard to their deliberative process. But I would submit that it is far, far, far too early in their deliberative process to even consider giving them any kind of[ instructions meant for deadlocked jurors].
    • [Prosecutors say she drunkenly and intentionally backed her Lexus SUV into her boyfriend, Boston police Officer John O’Keefe, outside a Canton home early on Jan. 29, 2022 following a night of bar-hopping and heavy drinking.]
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

74%

  • Unique Points
    • Some people believe that Read is innocent and being framed by law enforcement families
    • Read had a successful career as a financial analyst and adjunct professor at Bentley College before the trial.
    • Grew up in Blacksburg, Virginia, and Taunton, Massachusetts. Attended Coyle & Cassidy, a now-closed private Roman Catholic school, and earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in finance at Bentley University.
  • Accuracy
    • Jury is deliberating in the Karen Read trial
    • Karen Read is accused of hitting her boyfriend John O’Keefe with her black SUV and leaving him to die in a snowstorm following a night of drinking
    • Jury had deliberated for about 14 and-a-half hours before Friday’s session
  • Deception (30%)
    The article contains emotional manipulation and sensationalism. The author uses phrases like 'disgusting', 'escalating tension', and 'sensationalized story' to elicit an emotional response from the reader. The author also selectively reports details that support her position, such as the actions of Read's supporters towards the O'Keefe family, without providing context or balance.
    • Yesterday, we were so disgusted when the read supporters showed up at the VFW to harass John's family, and they called the police on them. They just cannot leave this grieving family alone.
    • They have glamorized Karen Read. They have made this a sensationalized story. That is disgusting.
  • Fallacies (85%)
    The author uses inflammatory rhetoric by stating 'They have glamorized Karen Read. They have made this a sensationalized story. That is disgusting.' and 'She murdered him.' This language is not objective and creates an emotional response in the reader, which can influence their perception of the case. The author also uses appeals to emotion when she quotes Julie Guinto saying 'They just cannot leave this grieving family alone, and it is so wrong on so many levels.' and Lindsey Gaetani saying 'She murdered him.' These statements are not based on facts or evidence presented in the article, but rather the opinions of individuals. The author also uses a dichotomous depiction by presenting only two sides of the argument without providing any nuance or context. This can create a false sense of black and white thinking and limit the reader's understanding of the complexities of the case.
    • They have glamorized Karen Read. They have made this a sensationalized story. That is disgusting.
    • She murdered him.
  • Bias (80%)
    The author expresses her personal opinion that the Karen Reed supporters are harassing the O'Keefe family and making a sensationalized story out of the case. She also states that some Reed supporters believe she is being framed by law enforcement families. These statements demonstrate a bias towards those who believe Reed is guilty.
    • Some of those who wait for a verdict outside the buffer zone around the courthouse believe that Read, who is accused of hitting her boyfriend with an SUV and leaving him to die in a snowstorm, is being framed by members of law enforcement families.
      • They have glamorized Karen Read. They have made this a sensationalized story. That is disgusting.
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication

      98%

      • Unique Points
        • Grew up in Blacksburg, Virginia, and Taunton, Massachusetts. Attended Coyle & Cassidy, a now-closed private Roman Catholic school, and earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in finance at Bentley University.
        • Read had a successful career as a financial analyst and adjunct professor at Bentley College before the trial.
        • Their relationship soured with verbal fights and animosity during a trip to Aruba.
        • Prosecutors suggested O’Keefe was looking for a way out before their last night bar-hopping together.
        • Read allegedly left a voicemail saying ‘John, I (expletive) hate you.’ after the incident.
        • Read’s father has faith in her innocence and has put up $50,000 bail for her.
        • Read has battled adversity before with multiple surgeries for Crohn’s disease and a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
      • Accuracy
        • Karen Read is having difficulty reaching a verdict.
        • The jury in the Karen Read trial is deadlocked and unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
        • Jurors have indicated they have 'nowhere to turn' and should receive specific instructions for deadlocked juries.
      • Deception (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Fallacies (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Bias (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication

      98%

      • Unique Points
        • Read was arrested days after O’Keefe’s death on charges of manslaughter, motor vehicle homicide and leaving the scene of a deadly crash.
        • Two narratives have emerged in the case: the state alleges Read killed O’Keefe by backing into him with a car and leaving him to die, while Read’s defense team argues that others have colluded to frame her for his murder.
        • It is rare for juries to deadlock, but it happened in the Karen Read case.
        • Judge Beverly Cannone told the Karen Read jurors to keep deliberating after they signaled they were deadlocked.
      • Accuracy
        • ]The state alleges Read killed O’Keefe by backing into him with a car and leaving him to die[1, 2], [Read was arrested days after O’Keefe’s death on charges of manslaughter, motor vehicle homicide and leaving the scene of a deadly crash[1, 3], [It is rare for juries to deadlock, but it happened in the Karen Read case.[1, 4]]
      • Deception (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Fallacies (95%)
        The article contains some appeals to authority and inflammatory rhetoric, but no formal logical fallacies were found. The author quotes Peter Elikann making an appeal to authority regarding jury deliberations being pushed by judges. Additionally, the author uses the phrase 'daily protests outside the courtroom' which is inflammatory in nature.
        • ][Peter Elikann]'s a longtime Boston defense lawyer and member of the Massachusetts Bar Association's Criminal Justice Council said Friday. He added it's not unusual for a judge to continue requiring deliberations even after a second or third such note.[/]
      • Bias (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication