Karen Read’s retrial (live verdict watch): Fourth day of deliberations after jury asks 4 questions

DEDHAM, Mass. — Wednesday marks the fourth day of deliberations in Karen Read’s murder retrial after jurors on Tuesday asked four questions about a hung jury, evidence, and charges listed on a verdict slip.

HAPPENING NOW: Jurors are deliberating Karen Read’s fate.

Follow Ted Daniel’s and Ryan Breslin’s live updates from court:

Before Wednesday, jurors had deliberated for about 12 hours over three days without reaching a verdict, after receiving the case on Friday afternoon following weeks of testimony and closing arguments.

They are trying to reach a verdict on three charges that Read faces:

• Second-degree murder
• Manslaughter while operating under the influence
• Leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death

Each morning of deliberations begins with Judge Beverly Cannone issuing a formal opening to the jurors before they are sent off to deliberate, and the afternoons feature a formal closing at 4 p.m.

The jury, which consists of seven women and five men, is allowed back in the courtroom if any questions arise. After radio silence on Monday, jurors returned to court with four questions on Tuesday:

Question 1: What is the time frame for the OUI charge? OUI at 12:45 a.m. or 5 a.m.?

Answer: Cannone advised jurors that they are the finders of fact and to make their own decision based on the evidence.

Question 2: Are video clips of Read’s documentary interviews evidence?

Answer: Cannone advised that they were

Question 3: Does a guilty verdict on a lesser charge of driving under the influence mean guilt on the main charge, which is manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence?

Answer: Cannone agreed to amend the verdict slip to make it “easier” for jurors to follow.

Question 4: If we find not guilty on two charges but can’t agree on one charge, is it a hung jury on all three charges or just one charge?

Answer: Cannone said the question is “theoretical” and not something she can answer.

Karen Read's retrial: Judge answers jury questions

On Monday, the defense filed a motion requesting that a not guilty box be added to the lesser included charges on verdict slip No. 2.

When a verdict is ultimately reached, both the prosecution and defense will be notified and called back to court.

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.

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 later 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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