Waiting game: Karen Read murder trial jury deliberations to resume - Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News (2024)

DEDHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - The jury in the ongoing Karen Read murder trial ended its first day of deliberations Tuesday afternoon after hearing closing arguments from the defense and the prosecution earlier in the day.

Jurors will return on Wednesday to continue deliberating.

Read’s trial began in late April and the prosecution called more than 60 witnesses before resting its case on Friday. The defense rested its case Monday after attorneys called a total of six witnesses.

Closing arguments got underway an hour late Tuesday after a juror was dismissed, with each side allotted one hour for their arguments.

Read, 44, of Mansfield, is facing charges including second degree murder after prosecutors said she hit her boyfriend John O’Keefe, a Boston police officer, with her SUV and left him to die after dropping him off outside the Canton home of Brian and Nicole Albert on Jan. 29, 2022.

Read’s defense has said she is being framed, saying O’Keefe was actually beaten to death and attacked by a dog during a party inside the Albert home. Read’s attorneys claim police covered up details and planted evidence to implicate Read in the case.

Several prosecution witnesses were seated with the O’Keefe family in the courtroom Tuesday morning. Brian Albert sat with his sister-in-law Jennifer McCabe; his nephew Colin Albert; and Kerry Roberts, who was with McCabe and Read when Read found O’Keefe unresponsive in the Alberts’ yard on the morning of Jan. 29

Defense gives closing argument

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After one juror was dismissed, defense attorney Alan Jackson began his closing argument. He told the jury that they were “lied to” in the courtroom, and that law enforcement officials lied repeatedly while testifying.

“You are the only thing standing in the way between tyranny and injustice,” Jackson said to the jury.

Jackson said the case was about “finding a patsy” to make sure a Boston police officer — Albert — did not get into any trouble. Jackson said he believes ATF special agent Brian Higgins, a key witness in the trial, had romantic feelings for Read and that he could have taken part in beating O’Keefe.

“A push, a punch, a fall, Chloe [the Alberts’ dog] attacks the arm and now it’s done. What’s that take? Five seconds? Ten? This wasn’t intended, but it happened, and then the panic sets in,'” Jackson said.

He reminded jurors a snow plow operator said he saw a Ford Edge near the flagpole where O’Keefe’s body was found, and that Albert had a Ford Edge.

Jackson said that Read cracked her car’s tail light, but that it was not shattered when she left O’Keefe’s home to look for him in the early morning hours of Jan. 29.

He also told the jurors the fact that “Canton’s own” Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor was assigned as the homicide detective in this case was a stroke of luck. Jackson said Proctor “erected a tall, blue wall — a wall you can’t scale, a wall Karen certainly couldn’t get over.”

Jackson then accused Proctor of placing glass on the bumper of Read’s car, saying the glass pieces did not match the drinking glass found by O’Keefe’s body. He also said the “magic hair” found on Read’s bumper was placed there.

He also brought up testimony from former San Bernardino County, Calif. chief medical examiner Dr. Frank Sheridan, who said O’Keefe should have had more bruising if he was struck by an SUV.

The science proves O’Keefe was beaten, Jackson told jurors.

Prosecution gives closing argument

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Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally started his argument with what he said were Read’s own words — “I hit him, I hit him, I hit him.”

Lally ran through a timeline beginning with signs of trouble in the relationship of O’Keefe and Read, text messages back and forth, and each drink consumed while Read and others gathered at a series of bars on Jan. 28. He played Read’s angry voicemails to O’Keefe aloud for the courtroom.

He showed jurors a side-by-side photo showing the back of Read’s Lexus, noting how snowy the car was when Canton police received it. He said O’Keefe’s hair, which was found on the bumper, was frozen to the car by the snow.

Lally also questioned the defense’s claims that Albert took part in killing O’Keefe.

“The criminal mastermind genius Brian Albert is going to leave the body on his own lawn? Really?” Lally said.

The judge allowed Lally to get through his final sentence just after his one hour time period had elapsed. He asked the jury to convict Karen Read.

Jury deliberations begin

Judge Beverly Cannone told the jurors that they were about to deliberate, giving them instructions concerning the law.

Cannone said that Read had an absolute right to not testify, telling jurors that they cannot hold that against her.

She then reminded the jurors of Read’s charges — second degree murder, manslaughter while driving drunk, and leaving the scene of an accident/crash causing serious injury or death.

Cannone urged the jury not to start with a straw vote, but told them that deliberations are up to them. The jury was told to take their time.

Two women were selected at random as alternate jurors. Now six men and six women will consider Read’s fate. The jury began with 11 women and six men.

Just before 1:30 p.m., the jurors were dismissed to deliberate.

Cannone sent jurors home for the day shortly before 4:30 p.m.

Catch up on the trial with 7News’s daily recaps: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 23, Day 24, Day 25, Day 26, Day 27, Day 28, Day 29, Day 30.

This is adeveloping story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

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