Karen Read case: Decision looms as jurors start deliberating
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Karen Read looks on during her murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court. Photo: Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Jurors spent Monday afternoon deliberating over whether they believe Karen Read murdered her boyfriend.
Why it matters: The case that has been discussed, dissected and debated for two years and attracted wall-to-wall media coverage may be nearing its end.
Catch up fast: Prosecutors say Read ran over John O'Keefe with her SUV on Jan. 29, 2022, after dropping him off outside a house party in Canton and left him for dead.
- The defense says O'Keefe, a Boston police officer, died after a fight at the party.
- Read faces charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence and leaving the scene of personal injury and death.
- Attorneys on both sides delivered their closing arguments Monday morning.
Zoom in: Alan Jackson, one of Read's lawyers, told jurors that authorities wanted them to "look the other way" and overlook conflicts of interest and other problems with the investigation.
- He said police and witnesses got rid of evidence and phones and lied in reports. He also noted lead investigator Michael Proctor had said in text messages after the killing that police expected to "put serious charges on the girl," per the Boston Globe.
- Jackson insisted that O'Keefe on the night he died had entered fellow officer Brian Albert's house party in Canton, citing witnesses and Apple Watch data suggesting he went up or down stairs.
Prosecutor Adam Lally said Proctor's texts were "unprofessional" but didn't describe any cover-up.
- Lally noted Read was heard shouting "I hit him" four times at the scene.
- He also noted some witnesses, including O'Keefe's niece and nephew, testified to turbulence in the couple's relationship in the weeks leading up to O'Keefe's murder.
The prosecution also pointed to O'Keefe's DNA on the broken taillight of Read's Lexus SUV, as well as microscopic pieces found on his clothing, as evidence that she hit him.
- Jackson countered that officers at the scene initially found no pieces of the taillight and used a leaf blower to clear the snow.
- One of the defense's expert witnesses testified that the state's contention that the taillight broke when it struck O'Keefe's head was "inconsistent" with his lack of bruising, NBC News reported.
What's next: Deliberations will continue until jurors reach a verdict.