Latest news with #PaulaPrado
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
‘We did the right thing': Juror in Karen Read retrial confident in acquittal
A deliberating juror in the Karen Read retrial told the Today Show Friday morning she is confident the panel made the right decision when it acquitted Read of killing her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe. Read, 45, was acquitted on all but a misdemeanor charge of operating under the influence after eight weeks of testimony and four days of jury deliberations. She faced charges including second-degree murder, after prosecutors said she backed her Lexus SUV into O'Keefe and left him to die in the snow. But Paula Prado, one of the 12 deliberating jurors, told the Today show she was convinced not just that Read was not guilty of the charges, but that she was innocent of O'Keefe's death altogether. 'I believe if it was a collision, this collision was very little and wasn't enough to cause death‚' she said in an interview from Walpole. Prado said she thinks O'Keefe went inside the Canton home of a fellow Boston Police officer, where something happened to him. 'I believe he died inside and something happened inside,' she said, adding she believed O'Keefe might've been in a fight or simply accidentally fallen. She told Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin that the most compelling piece of evidence to her was Read's taillight. In the deliberation room, jurors were able to examine the entire taillight housing pulled from Read's SUV. Prado said the condition of the taillight didn't match what jurors saw on videos of Read pulling away from O'Keefe's home around 5 a.m. on the morning of his death. 'I saw it, and most of us, I think, saw it as her taillight was mostly red, so [it] wasn't compatible with the taillight fully broken we had in front of us,' she said. 'That was the reasonable doubt we were looking for.' Sitting inside the cramped Dedham courtroom where the trial took place, Prado said Read's calm, confident demeanor initially put her off. But as the trial went on, she began to respect how involved Read was in her own defense. 'After a while, I admired that,' she said, adding, Read was 'fighting for her life.' Prado said she was speaking out because she wanted the Norfolk district attorney's office to reopen its investigation into O'Keefe's death and determine 'who really killed John O'Keefe.' Still, she said her heart broke for his family. 'I'm a mother and I have been watching his family for 2 months. I can't imagine what they are going through,' she said. But she told Guthrie and Melvin she was secure in the verdict. 'I'm confident we did the right thing,' she said. Karen Read's defense changed its strategy for retrial — and won 'A stunning win for the defense': Experts react to Karen Read verdict Karen Read verdict: How the day played out before acquittal Canton was 'deeply affected' by Karen Read murder trial, official says 'This is the best day ever': Karen Read supporters erupt in sobs and confetti Read the original article on MassLive.
Fox News
24-06-2025
- Fox News
Second Karen Read juror faults 'sloppy police investigation' in John O'Keefe murder case
Print Close By Michael Ruiz Published June 20, 2025 A second Karen Read juror has come forward after arriving at not guilty verdicts on most of the charges she faced in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend, John O'Keefe. "It could just be bad police work, but if anyone had done their job correctly, we wouldn't be in this position," Paula Prado, who was Juror No. 11, told ABC News. "It would either be proved or disproved right away." Another of the 12 jurors explained the panel's reasoning Thursday, a day after her second trial came to a close. He 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 had 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. KAREN READ MURDER CASE VERDICT REACHED AFTER DEADLOCKED FIRST TRIAL 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. Cannone ordered that the jurors' names remain sealed for 10 days, but she said individual jurors could come forward on their own, if they wanted. 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. MASSACHUSETTS TROOPER MICHAEL PROCTOR 'TERMINATED' FROM STATE POLICE 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. FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X 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. SIGN UP TO GET THE TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER 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. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP A federal investigation into the case ended without charges against members of either law enforcement agency. Print Close URL
Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Karen Read haters furious as they spot detail in juror's online bio that 'should have excluded her from the trial'
A juror in the controversial Karen Read trial has sparked outrage after online sleuths spotted alarming details in her X profile. Paula Prado was the 11th of 12 jurors who spectacularly acquitted Read earlier this week over the murder of her Boston cop boyfriend earlier this week. The verdict came Wednesday following two trials which gripped and divided the nation after the first collapsed into a mistrial. Prado said 'justice was served' after Read, 45, was cleared over the January 2022 murder of John O'Keefe. But now a detail in the juror's X bio has sparked concern and accusations of bias, which she was quick to slap down. The short profile states that Prado is a Brazilian attorney and 'true crime lover with a soft spot for justice'. The details have lead many to suggest that Prado should have been recused from jury duty. 'Juror number 11 in the Karen Read trial, already knows she's about to be held in contempt of court for juror fraud & deletes (one of) her X accounts,' one person wrote on X, in reference to Prado. A juror in the controversial Karen Read trial has sparked outrage after online sleuths spotted alarming details in her X profile. In her bio and her pinned post on X, she reveals she is a 'True Crime lover' and a 'licensed attorney in Brazil' sparking allegations of bias Many found these details disqualifying and made posts criticizing her for even agreeing to be on the jury that would let Read go Another wrote that they did not believe Prado, 'knew nothing about [Karen Read] prior to jury selection,' adding that, 'if you knew nothing, how is it one day later you are so informed?' 'So a self-described true crime lover was an unbiased juror in a high profile true crime trial in her backyard?' a third person questioned. Many of the people who posted about this controversy pointed out that Prado appears to be following pro-Karen Read accounts, as well as Aidan Kearney, alias Turtleboy, a journalist who extensively covered the trial. Others were frustrated that in her pinned post, Prado admits she is 'a licensed attorney in Brazil'. While attorneys are called to serve on juries just like any other citizen, they are often struck from the final roster because of how their occupation could influence their approach as a juror. Although Prado had many people attacking her, she had plenty of defenders, mirroring the polarizing nature of the trial itself. One woman replied to one of the posts slamming Prado and claimed that she only started following the various accounts on Thursday, the day after Read was acquitted. Prado then waded in and to try and quash the accusations. 'I am a licensed attorney in Brazil. I do not practice in Massachusetts. When I was asked what I do for work, I answered objectively,' Prado wrote. 'I have an MBA in Marketing and currently support a law office in Brazil with their digital marketing. I hope this clarifies things.' Read was acquitted after jurors rejected the prosecution's argument that she hit her boyfriend with an SUV and left him to die in the snow outside a house party. Her defense put forth a theory that Read was the victim of an elaborate plot to frame her by O'Keefe's law enforcement buddies, some of whom they suggested may have been the true culprits despite no charges being filed against them. In an interview with CBS News, Prado slammed investigators on the Read case for not doing their jobs and proving the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. 'I just want to tell them it's not our fault that Karen Read was not convicted,' she said. 'Even if there is any chance that she is guilty of something, or hurt him somehow, the Commonwealth or the investigators didn't do their jobs to prove that to us.' Prado said the prosecutors' case was full of inconsistencies and claimed there simply was not enough evidence to definitively conclude that a collision occurred on the day O'Keefe was found dead. Read sobbed in court after she was found not guilty in her second trial. Her first trial ended in July 2024, after a deadlocked jury could not come to a verdict. The jury in her retrial returned a not guilty verdict on the charges of murder and leaving the scene resulting in death on Wednesday. She was found guilty of Operating Under the Influence and sentenced to probation. Read, who wore a light blue suit, cried and hugged her lawyer Alan Jackson after the judge delivered the news. She has long maintained her innocence and insisted that she was framed by his police officer friends who were inside the house where he was found dead. In the years her case has wound through the courts, she managed to gain a cult following of supporters from the widespread social media coverage and hit HBO documentary of the case. Read was greeted by a massive crowd of pink-clad fans shouting 'Karen Read is free' after she left the court an innocent woman. Read thanked her lawyers and supporters in a brief press conference outside of the courthouse. 'I could not be standing here without these amazing supporters who have supported me and my team financially and more importantly emotionally for almost four years,' she said. 'No one has fought harder for justice for John O'Keefe than I have. Than I have, and my team.' The couple had been dating for two years at the time of O'Keefe's death. He had been serving on the Boston Police Department for 16 years. Several witnesses in the case, including some of those who were in the house that fateful night, released a statement calling the verdict a 'miscarriage of justice'. The witnesses who signed the statement included Jennifer McCabe, who made the infamous and misspelled 'Hos long to die in cold' Google search in the early morning hours of O'Keefe's death, and Brian Albert, who owned the home where the party took place. Read's defense claimed that the search was evidence of additional involvement in O'Keefe's death, which was ruled a result of blunt force trauma and hypothermia. 'While we may have more to say in the future, today we mourn with John's family and lament the cruel reality that this prosecution was infected by lies and conspiracy theories spread by Karen Read, her defense team, and some in the media. The result is a devastating miscarriage of justice,' the statement said. Read's supporters told Daily Mail they are ecstatic with the verdict and they are ready to help fight for justice for O'Keefe. 'God, this is just. The American jury system prevailed, and the Commonwealth failed. The Commonwealth failed its people. The jury came back with a just verdict,' said Rita Lombardi, who had been at court nearly every day. 'This is history, and this is what ordinary people did: ordinary people raised their voices in positive and productive ways to speak truth to power. 'My message to the people who did this to John is that you failed miserably. It's just the beginning.' The jury handed down its decision after deliberating for at least 22 hours.
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.
