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Boston Globe
10 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Judge impounds list of jurors in Karen Read trial indefinitely
Citing the 'divisive' interest the high-profile case has received, Cannone said she believes 'there is a risk of immediate and irreparable injury should the list be made available to the public at this time.' In light of that, the list will remain sealed 'until and unless otherwise ordered by the Court.' Advertisement Read, 45, was acquitted June 18 in Norfolk Superior Court of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death. She was convicted only of a misdemeanor OUI offense and sentenced to a year's probation. Prosecutors said she backed her Lexus SUV in a drunken rage into Boston police officer John O'Keefe early on Jan. 29, 2022, after dropping him off outside a Canton home following a night of bar-hopping. Her lawyers said she was framed and that O'Keefe entered the property, owned at the time by a fellow Boston police officer, where he was fatally beaten and possibly mauled by a German Shepherd before his body was planted on the front lawn. Advertisement Read's first trial had ended with a hung jury last year, and she still faces a wrongful death lawsuit brought by O'Keefe's family in Plymouth Superior Court. Travis Andersen can be reached at
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Boston Globe
Karen Read's lead lawyer rips special prosecutor for ‘egregious breach' of ethics in statement following acquittal
Advertisement Brennan, a prominent Boston defense attorney whose client roster has included the late South Boston gangster Whitey Bulger, didn't immediately return an email seeking comment Tuesday. In Prosecutor Hank Brennan finishes up his closing arguments during the murder trial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, Friday, June 13, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP, Pool) Mark Stockwell/Associated Press 'I am disappointed in the verdict and the fact that we could not achieve justice for John O'Keefe and his family,' Brennan said. Read, 45, was Advertisement Prosecutors said she backed her Lexus SUV in a drunken rage into O'Keefe after dropping him off outside a Fairview Road home in Canton early on Jan. 29, 2022, following a night of bar hopping. Karen Read embraces a supporter as she leaves the courthouse at the start of the third day of jury deliberations in her trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds) Josh Reynolds/Associated Press Her lawyers said she was framed and asserted that O'Keefe entered the property, owned at the time by a fellow Hub cop, where he was fatally beaten and possibly mauled by a German Shepherd before his body was planted on the front lawn. Jurors determined the government had failed to prove the felonies beyond a reasonable doubt but did find Read guilty of a misdemeanor OUI offense, for which she received a year of probation. Brennan said that following 'an independent and thorough review of all the evidence, I concluded that the evidence led to one person, and only one person. Neither the closed federal investigation [of the state probe] nor my independent review led me to identify any other possible suspect or person responsible for the death of John O'Keefe.' Numerous people who were at the home that night have faced accusations that they were involved in O'Keefe's death or took part in a cover-up, allegations that were spurred by the defense, online discussions, and a large movement of Karen Read supporters who championed her innocence. None of the witnesses have been charged in connection to the case, which triggered the separate federal grand jury investigation. 'The campaign of intimidation and abuse that has been waged, funded, and promoted in public and on social media is the antithesis of justice,' Brennan said. 'If this type of conduct becomes commonplace, it will threaten the integrity of our judicial system affecting both victims and criminally accused. We cannot condone witness abuse causing participants to worry for their own safety or that of their families.' Advertisement Brennan said he hopes that with the verdict, the witnesses and families tied to the case will be left alone. He also extended condolences to the O'Keefe family and 'faith that over the coming years they will find peace and closure.' 'The harassment of these innocent victims and family members is deplorable and should never happen again in a case in this Commonwealth,' he said. Jackson, in his fiery rejoinder Tuesday, said Brennan had violated court rules with his verbiage. 'The Rules of Professional Conduct are clear: A prosecutor should support the legitimacy of the justice system and promote public confidence in its operations,' Jackson said. 'Openly attacking a jury's verdict because he disagrees with it undermines that centuries'-old edict.' Jackson also pushed back on the government's contention that the state probe into O'Keefe's death was thorough. 'If that were true, the Commonwealth would have uncovered what we, the defense, uncovered: hidden exculpatory evidence; lies and perjury by the Commonwealth's own witnesses; cops covering for other cops; a biased and corrupt lead investigator with personal ties to witnesses; and inculpatory and suspicious conduct by myriad witnesses.' Jackson reiterated a defense mantra that Read is 'factually innocent' of killing O'Keefe. 'This case is a stark reminder that there has been a complete breakdown in what is supposed to be our justice system,' Jackson said. 'Those in power are more interested in protecting themselves than the citizens that they are sworn to protect.' The defense is thankful for the jury's verdict, Jackson said. Advertisement 'But make no mistake—if DA Michael Morrissey had his way, the truth never would have come out in this case,' Jackson said. 'It would have been lost somewhere in private and deleted conversations that would never have seen the light of day. Corruption like this doesn't happen in isolation. How many innocent people have been railroaded because of failures in our judicial system? We, as citizens, must demand more of our institutions." Read still faces a wrongful death lawsuit brought by O'Keefe's family in Plymouth Superior Court. Travis Andersen can be reached at
Boston Globe
20-06-2025
- Boston Globe
‘Too many holes.' Juror on Karen Read trial speaks about case.
'Seeing John O'Keefe's family leaving the courthouse melt[ed] my heart,' she said. 'I'm a mother and I saw her pain through all those days.' On Wednesday, Advertisement She will serve one year of probation as a first-time offender. The decision marked the end of a Prado said she did not realize the extent of the media coverage of the case. When jurors entered the courthouse, she occasionally saw a few people wearing pink shirts, but did not know that crowds of Read supporters were gathering outside the courthouse. Advertisement Throughout her time on the jury, Prado said she didn't hear 'anything' inside the courthouse, and that the windows in the deliberation room were covered. She said she thought 'justice was served' by the verdict and is '100 percent convinced' Read is not responsible for O'Keefe's death. She is 'happy' for Read and her family, she said. 'We couldn't prove there was a collision, and she was responsible for John's death,' Prado said. 'The Commonwealth and the investigators didn't do their jobs to prove that to us.' Prado said she initially thought Read may be guilty of manslaughter but changed her mind about three weeks ago after evidence of DNA was presented, which she found inconclusive. The investigation had 'too many flaws' and felt 'not precise,' she said. 'I just realized there [were] too many holes that we couldn't fill, and there's nothing that put her on the scene in our opinion, besides just drop[ping] John O'Keefe off,' Prado said. 'Too many pieces were missing.' At the beginning of deliberations, the jurors decided not to vote, and instead went through the testimony, videos, and other evidence, Prado said. The group then talked about the charges one by one, eliminating the ones they didn't agree with, until they reached a verdict, she said. Prado said deliberations were respectful and the jurors listened to each other's opinions. The discussion never got 'heated,' she said. The Advertisement 'They did a very good job,' Prado said. She also said the prosecution's argument that the injuries to O'Keefe's arm came from the taillight of Read's SUV 'didn't make much sense,' and there were 'too many coincidences' in the evidence to blame Read. 'I don't think the car killed John O'Keefe,' she said. In terms of the OUI, Prado said it was the 'only thing' the jurors could charge Read with because she said in a video played in court that she was drinking and video footage from the bars showed her drinking. 'We couldn't let that pass,' Prado said. Asked about what she thought happened to O'Keefe, Prado said Read might have backed up her SUV and 'touched him somehow' but that was not what caused his death. 'In my opinion, he definitely went inside, and something happened inside the house,' Prado said. However, Prado said she 'can't say' Read was framed as she just began looking at more details on the case online. Prado said the jury knew the case was a retrial and the jurors were 'positive' they would discuss all the evidence to reach a decision. 'We definitely didn't want to hang this jury,' Prado said. 'The amount of money spent on this trial made me very upset, and I'm sure made my fellow jurors upset too.' Prado said she 'did not find it strange' that she didn't hear from Advertisement Prado said she wants to tell the O'Keefe family it's 'not your fault' that Read was not convicted. 'I really, really hope there is a way for the case to be reopened, and they can investigate again and find who actually did that to John,' Prado said. Ava Berger can be reached at
CBS News
20-06-2025
- CBS News
Karen Read juror confident in verdict, says "we couldn't prove there was a collision"
Paula Prado is recounting the gravity and emotions of being one of the 12 jurors in the high-profile Karen Read retrial. She said it was an intense week and left court crying but is confident in her decision. "I was happy for Karen Read and her family of course. I think justice was served," Prado said. "But seeing John O'Keefe's family leaving the courthouse, was melt my heart. I'm a mother and I saw her pain through all those days." On Wednesday, the jury acquitted Read of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of bodily injury in the death of her boyfriend, John O'Keefe, in Canton, Massachusetts. Read was only found guilty of operating under the influence of alcohol (OUI). "Investigators didn't do their jobs" "I just want to tell them it's not our fault that Karen Read was not convicted," Prado said. "Even if there is any chance that she is guilty of something, of hurt him somehow, the Commonwealth or the investigators didn't do their jobs to prove that to us." Prado is a lawyer from Brazil. She says part of the reason why the jury reached their verdict, was because of the police investigation, saying there were too many inconsistencies and not enough evidence that a crash occurred. "At first for me, I thought Karen Read was actually maybe guilty of manslaughter in the beginning. But as the weeks passed by, I just realized there was too many holes that we couldn't fill and there is nothing that put her on the scene in our opinion besides just dropping John O'Keefe off," Prado said. "And the taillight, the injuries on his arm didn't make much sense that come from a taillight for us," she said. She said the last witness from ARCCA did a very good job making it clear for her. "We couldn't prove there was a collision, and she was responsible for John's death," Prado said. Hopes O'Keefe's case can be reopened She now hopes that the amount of pressure and attention given to Read's case will be put into getting justice for Boston police officer John O'Keefe. "I really, really hope there is a way for the case to be reopened and they can investigate again and find who actually did that to John," Paula said.
Fox News
19-06-2025
- Fox News
Juror reveals why Karen Read walked free in boyfriend's death
One of the 12 jurors who cleared Karen Read of murder charges in the death of Boston cop boyfriend John O'Keefe explained the panel's reasoning Thursday, a day after her second trial came to a close. The juror also explained brief confusion Wednesday afternoon that arose out of a verdict that jurors later retracted before it was read in court. Judge Beverly Cannone sealed that one. Within minutes, jurors handed down a verdict for real. "Everything on that initial slip was the same as the slip that was presented," Juror No. 4, identified only as "Jason," told TMZ Live. He said they pulled the first slip back over the OUI charge – operating under the influence of liquor, of which jurors found her guilty. WATCH: Juror No. 4's interview "In our deliberations, we had decided there was enough evidence and proof that she was driving under the influence," he said. Jurors found Read not guilty of murder, manslaughter and fleeing a deadly accident in a trial that stretched on for more than 30 days of testimony and four days of deliberations. The lesser included charge of OUI is the Massachusetts term for drunken driving. "I don't know what happened to John," Jason said. "I was only presented a limited scope of what happened at the night, and I can only base my opinion off of the evidence that was shown in the courtroom. So, I don't really know if there was a cover-up or not. "I know that's the big conspiracy around it, but I don't really know. All I know is there was a lot of holes in the investigation. Whether they were deliberate holes or not deliberate holes, it's kinda hard for me sitting back to know that — you know, what actually happened." He said the defense claim that O'Keefe could have been killed by someone in the house — in an attack that involved a dog — was an "example of reasonable doubt." "We were tasked with finding ... with deciding this person's fate based on the proof in the evidence that the commonwealth was able to present, and there was a lot of holes," he said. He said another important factor for the jury was video that showed Read's taillight. "We could see from the car, after the alleged incident happened, when we could see the taillight it was lit up red, where it shouldn't just have been red," he said. "I don't believe that the SUV collided with John O'Keefe." Still, he added, there was no way for jurors to know whether claims of a "corrupt" police investigation were true. "I don't know that there was any corruption going on," he said. "But do I know that there wasn't enough proof or evidence secured by the police to convict Karen Read? Absolutely." Also Thursday, Massachusetts State Police brass broke their silence on the years-long case marred by investigative missteps and the firing of a state trooper who played a central role in the case. Read was accused — and acquitted — of killing her boyfriend by slamming an SUV into him and leaving him to die on the ground during a blizzard after a drunken argument. Jurors found her guilty only of drunken driving, for which she received a sentence of one year probation and outpatient treatment. Col. Geoffrey Noble, the state police commissioner, said the entire department sends its condolences to O'Keefe's family. "The events of the last three years have challenged our department to thoroughly review our actions and take concrete steps to deliver advanced investigative training, ensure appropriate oversight and enhance accountability," Noble said in a statement. "Under my direction as colonel, the state police has, and will continue to, improve in these regards." He said the goal is to deliver "excellent" service and maintain public trust. GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB Jurors did not appear to trust the investigation after four days of deliberation, when they rejected the prosecution's case almost entirely. The lead investigator on the case, former State Trooper Michael Proctor, lost his job in March after an internal investigation concluded he shared confidential and sensitive law enforcement information with civilians in a group text, the contents of which were also lewd in nature and mocked Read's health issues. It was Noble who announced the firing, days before Read's second trial began. Her first trial ended with a deadlocked jury last year after the texts were read in court and Read's defense exposed other glaring flaws in the investigation. "It is incumbent upon me, as well as every member of this department, to hold one another accountable when any member compromises our mission by failing to uphold our values," he said at the time. Noble and the department were also sued by true crime reporters and some of Read's supporters over the enforcement of a "buffer zone" around the Dedham courthouse that their lawyers called unconstitutional. Separately, local police in Canton, Massachusetts, were subjected to an external audit that recommended increased training and oversight while dispelling claims of a conspiracy to frame Read for O'Keefe's death. A federal investigation into the case ended without charges against members of either law enforcement agency.
