DEDHAM, Mass. — A member of the jury to acquit Karen Read on the most severe charges of murder and manslaughter said prosecutors failed to prove Read’s SUV struck John O’Keefe the night he died, but the juror stopped short of suggesting any sort of police coverup or attempt to frame Read.
Juror Number 4, a man called Jason, spoke with TMZ Live on Thursday, one day after the trial’s conclusion. Boston 25 independently verified the man was on the jury through courtroom eyewitnesses. Juror names are currently sealed by the court.
“There were holes in the case that left reasonable doubt,” Jason told TMZ Live, which airs weekdays on Boston 25. “Do I know that they were corrupt? Absolutely not. I don’t know that there was any corruption going on.”
Key to Jason’s decision to acquit Read was video evidence of her SUV.
“We did a lot of review of the tapes,” Jason said. “It seemed to me that in the videos of the car after the alleged incident happened, we could see the taillight lit up red where it shouldn’t have been red… I don’t believe that the SUV collided with John O’Keefe.”
Prosecutors alleged Read backed her SUV into O’Keefe, breaking a taillight in the process.
Jurors deliberated for a little more than three days before finding Read guilty of only one charge: operating under the influence, a misdemeanor for which Read was immediately sentenced to one year probation. Had she been convicted on the more serious murder charge, she could have faced the rest of her life in prison.
In a twist ahead of Wednesday’s verdict, Judge Beverly Cannone surprised the court and onlookers when she announced the jury had reached a verdict shortly after lunch, only to then change their mind before the verdict was announced. Cannone had the original verdict placed into an envelope and sealed from public knowledge. Because it was not read in court, it cannot count for or against Read.
About 20 minutes later, Judge Cannone returned to say the jury had reached a second verdict. In his interview with TMZ, Jason explained jurors went back for additional discussions on the OUI charge. He says they ultimately came to the same conclusion as they had in the first verdict, which remains under seal and unavailable for public review.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
