DEDHAM, Mass. — Monday marks the first full day of jury deliberations in the murder retrial of Karen Read, the woman charged in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend.
Each morning of deliberations will begin with Judge Beverly Cannone issuing a formal opening before the jury is sent off to deliberate, and the afternoons will feature a formal closing. Jurors will also be allowed back in court as they deliberate if any questions arise.
Cannone and the jurors, seven women and five men, entered the Norfolk Superior courtroom just before 9 a.m. They were asked if they had discussed this case or seen anything about it before Cannone sent them out to start deliberations for the day.
Here’s the explanation from Judge Cannone on the decision to deny the defense request to amend the Manslaughter OUI verdict slip to include “not guilty” options for the lesser included charges.
“After Review the Motion is DENIED. The Verdict Slip is Consistent with…
Defense had filed a formal request to amend the verdict slip on the manslaughter OUI charge to include a “not guilty” box. They had previously argued it in court. Jurors in the 1st trial had expressed confusion about that.
Karen Read told me and other reporters the request was…
Good morning from the courthouse in Dedham, MA for the first full day of jury deliberations in Karen Read's re-trial.
These are the charges the 12 jurors are considering: -2nd Degree murder -Manslaughter OUI (lessor included charges on verdict slip) -Leaving the scene of a…
Read, 45, of Mansfield, is accused of striking John O’Keefe, 46, with her Lexus SUV and leaving him to die alone in a blizzard outside of a house party in Canton at the home of fellow officer Brian Albert on Jan. 29, 2022, following a night of drinking.
Jackson told the jury that Read is an innocent woman victimized by a police cover-up in which law enforcement officers sought to protect their own and obscure the real killer.
Brennan said Read callously decided to leave O’Keefe dying in the snow, fully aware that he was gravely injured.
Throughout her second trial, the prosecution’s theory of jaded love turned deadly was countered by a defense claim that a cast of tight-knit Boston area law enforcement killed a fellow police officer.
Read’s lawyers argued that O’Keefe was beaten, bitten by a dog, then left outside Albert’s home in a conspiracy orchestrated by the police that included planting evidence against Read.
Read’s first trial ended in a mistrial after five days due to a hung jury on July 1, 2024. Several jurors came out to say that the panel had unanimously agreed that Read was not guilty of the most serious charge of second-degree murder.
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Karen Read Trial Before the jury enters the courtroom Karen Read shares a lighthearted moment with her defense team, during her second murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) (Greg Derr/AP)
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Karen Read Trial Karen Read sits with her defense team, from left, Robert Alessi, Elizabeth Little, Alan Jackson, and David Yannetti during her murder retrial in Norfolk Superior Court, in Dedham, Mass., Monday June 2, 2025. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool) (Pat Greenhouse/AP)
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Karen Read Trial Karen Read during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool) (Matt Stone/AP)
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Karen Read Trial Karen Read talks with her attorneys Robert Alessi and David Yannetti during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool) (Matt Stone/AP)
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Karen Read Trial Karen Read and her defense team watch jurors leave the courtroom during Read's murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) (Greg Derr/AP)
Karen Read Trial Karen Read speaks with her defense attorney, Alan Jackson, during her retrial in Norfolk Superior Court, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell, Pool) (Mark Stockwell/AP)
Karen Read Trial Defense attorney Robert Alessi, center, confers with Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone as Karen Read, left, stands by during a sidebar during Read's murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool) (Matt Stone/AP)
Karen Read Trial Karen Read, who is accused of killing her boyfriend Boston police Officer John O'Keefe, in 2022, during her murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool) (Matt Stone/AP)
Karen Read Trial Karen Read, who is accused of killing her boyfriend Boston police Officer John O'Keefe, in 2022, during her murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool) (Matt Stone/AP)
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Karen Read Trial Karen Read and attorney Alan Jackson look at the empty jury box while listening to Judge Cannone during Read's murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) (Greg Derr/AP)
Karen Read Trial Karen Read looks on during her trial Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Matt Stone/The Boston Herald via AP, Pool) (Matt Stone/AP)
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Karen Read Trial Defendant Karen Read talks with her attorneys during her murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Mark Chavous/Enterprise News via AP, Pool) (Mark Chavous/AP)
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Two jurors chosen on first day of jury selection in retrial of Karen Read
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Karen Read Pre-Trial Hearing Dedham, MA - April 12: Karen Read at her pre-trial hearing at Norfolk Superior Court. (Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) (Boston Globe/Boston Globe via Getty Images)
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Karen Read watches attorney Robert Alessi make a point during her trial at Norfolk Superior Court at Dedham, Mass., on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool) (Greg Derr/AP)
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Judge approves joint motion to delay start of Karen Read’s 2nd murder trial Judge approves joint motion to delay start of Karen Read’s 2nd murder trial
Karen Read appears in Norfolk Superior Court on Nov. 26, 2024 (Karen Read appears in Norfolk Superior Court on Nov. 26, 2024)
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Mistrial Declared In Karen Read Murder Trial Dedham, MA - July 1: Karen Read looks toward the jurors, as they are greeted by Judge Beverly J. Cannone (not pictured) in Norfolk Superior Court. (Photo by Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) (Boston Globe/Boston Globe via Getty Images)
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All stand as the jury files out to the courtroom, to start their fifth day of deliberations in the murder trial for Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Monday, July 1, 2024. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool) (Pat Greenhouse/AP)
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Karen Read awaits the juries verdict in her murder case at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday June 26, 2024. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP) (Greg Derr/AP)
Closing arguments in Karen Read trial
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Streets lined with Karen Read supporters as her fate rests in hands of the jury
Streets lined with Karen Read supporters as her fate rests in hands of the jury
Norfolk Superior Court Dedham Some witnesses are in the courtroom on Tuesday include Brian Albert, Colin Albert, and Jennifer McCabe.
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Karen Read trial Karen Read, center right, is seated Monday, June 10, 2024, in Norfolk Super Court, in Dedham, Mass., during her trial on charges in connection with the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police Officer John O'Keefe. (Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool) (Kayla Bartkowski/(Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool))
Karen Read trial Karen Read is seated Monday, June 10, 2024, in Norfolk Super Court, in Dedham, Mass., during her trial on charges in connection with the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police Officer John O'Keefe. (Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool) (Kayla Bartkowski/(Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool))
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Karen Read murder trial Karen Read smiles after listening to her attorney Alan Jackson during her trial at Norfolk County Superior Court, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. Read, 44, is accused of running into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of a nor'easter and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool) (Charles Krupa/AP)
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Karen Read Karen Read sits with her legal team team in court Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. Read, 44, is accused of running into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of a nor'easter and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (David McGlynn/New York Post via AP, Pool) (David McGlynn/Karen Read sits with her legal team team in court Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. Read, 44, is accused of running into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of a nor'easter and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (David McGlynn/New York Post via AP, Pool))
Karen Read Karen Read sits with her legal team team in court, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. Read, 44, is accused of running into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of a nor'easter and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (David McGlynn/New York Post via AP, Pool) (David McGlynn/Karen Read sits with her legal team team in court, Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. Read, 44, is accused of running into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of a nor'easter and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (David McGlynn/New York Post via AP, Pool))
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On Friday, the jurors deliberated for a little under two hours before they were sent home for the weekend. They’ll have a full day on Monday to discuss the case, the witnesses, and the evidence, as they try to reach a verdict on all three charges that Read faces:
Second-degree murder
Manslaughter while operating under the influence
Leaving the scene of a crash resulting in injury or death
Outside of court on Friday, Read said that she was anxious and planned to get sleep over the weekend.
“We’ve done everything we can,” Read said of her case. “The instructions, the verdict slip, you’ve seen us fighting in court.”
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