Deciding on an unbiased jury in a legal case is all the time a tough course of.
However that activity might be significantly tough Tuesday because the second murder trial begins in the case against Karen Read, the girl accused of inflicting the 2022 demise of her police officer boyfriend, in a area that has for years been sharply divided over the controversial case.
Learn, 45, has pleaded not responsible to second-degree homicide, vehicular manslaughter whereas intoxicated and leaving the scene of a collision leading to demise.
The case stems from the demise of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, whose physique was discovered bruised and battered within the snow on January 29, 2022, exterior the house of a fellow Boston police officer within the suburb of Canton.
Prosecutors have alleged a drunken Learn struck O’Keefe along with her automobile after which fled, leaving him to die within the snowy chilly. Nonetheless, her protection workforce has alleged Learn is the sufferer of an enormous cover-up and accused the off-duty police contained in the Canton house of killing O’Keefe and framing her.
Her murder trial last year in Dedham, Massachusetts was marked by vulgar textual content messages about Learn from the lead detective on the case – a state trooper who has since been fired.
In the meantime, exterior court docket, pink-wearing advocates gathered to assist Learn, holding indicators and chanting “Free Karen Learn.” They outnumbered others who wore blue to indicate their assist for O’Keefe and his household.
Amid the hoopla, the jury deadlocked on the fees and reported they may not come to a unanimous verdict.
Police have once more arrange a buffer zone to maintain the crowds from being too near the courthouse. Nonetheless, in pretrial hearings, these crowds have booed O’Keefe’s household and different prosecution witnesses, resulting in requests from state prosecutors for an expanded buffer zone.
“Your honor, the Commonwealth’s major concern is the sanctity of the jury and the jury course of,” Particular Lead Prosecutor for the Commonwealth Hank Brennan stated in court docket final month. “They need to be free from exterior affect.”
What occurred on the first trial
The essence of the homicide trial is the six-hour interval starting late January 28, 2022, into the morning hours of the next day.
That evening, Learn and O’Keefe went out consuming at two bars with mates. Shortly after midnight, the couple climbed into Learn’s SUV and drove to the house of O’Keefe’s colleague on Fairview Street in Canton for an after-party, court docket paperwork present.
There, O’Keefe received out of the automobile, and Learn later drove house. Early the following morning, she and two mates drove round in a snowstorm to search for him and located his physique within the entrance yard of the Canton home, based on court docket paperwork.
The prosecution has alleged the couple received into an argument that led O’Keefe to get out of the automobile, however he by no means made it inside the home. A drunken Learn allegedly struck him with the automobile whereas driving in reverse after which fled, leaving him to die within the snowy chilly, prosecutors stated.
Firefighters who responded to the scene that morning requested about his accidents, and Learn instructed them, “I hit him, I hit him,” based on their testimony. Folks on the home that evening testified O’Keefe by no means got here inside.
As well as, Learn’s automobile had a damaged taillight, and items of it had been discovered exterior the Canton house, prosecutors stated. Knowledge from the automobile’s inner system additionally indicated she reversed at a speedy pace, based on testimony.
“What the constellation of the info and the proof ineluctably exhibit right here is that the defendant drove her automobile in reverse at 24.2 miles per hour for 62.5 ft, struck Mr. O’Keefe, inflicting these catastrophic head accidents, leaving him incapacitated and freezing him to demise,” prosecutor Adam Lally stated in closing arguments of the primary trial.
Nonetheless, Learn has stated she dropped off O’Keefe on the home after which drove to his house as a result of she wasn’t feeling effectively, based on court docket paperwork.
Her protection has accused off-duty police inside that Canton house of killing O’Keefe and framing Learn. The protection has theorized O’Keefe was overwhelmed within the house and mauled by the householders’ German shepherd, Chloe, after which tossed out within the snow to die. The police then conspired to manufacture proof and lie underneath oath to guard their very own, the protection alleged.
“Girls and gents, there was a cover-up on this case, plain and easy,” protection lawyer Alan Jackson stated. “You’ll absolutely say to your self, ‘I don’t wish to consider it, I don’t wish to consider that would occur in our group,’ however sadly over these previous eight weeks you’ve seen it proper earlier than your eyes.”
The prosecution’s case within the first trial was hampered by a sequence of missteps and strange investigative practices.
Most notably, a lead investigator within the case, Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, admitted that he despatched a sequence of sexist and offensive texts about Learn in a non-public group chat, calling her a “whack job c***,” mocking her medical points and commenting to coworkers that he had discovered “no nudes” whereas looking her telephone for proof, CNN affiliate WCVB reported.
Proctor apologized on the stand for the “unprofessional” feedback, however the vulgar texts had been sharply criticized out and in of court docket, together with from the governor.
He was relieved of responsibility shortly after the mistrial, and final month the state police fired him from the drive.
After days of deliberations, the jury repeatedly stated they may not come to a unanimous verdict within the case. Choose Beverly Cannone then declared a mistrial.
Afterward, Learn’s protection filed an attraction arguing that 4 jurors had come ahead to say they’d unanimously acquitted Learn of two of the three expenses: second-degree homicide and leaving the scene of non-public harm or demise. Protection lawyer Martin Weinberg argued Learn can’t be retried on these counts underneath the foundations of “double jeopardy.”
Nonetheless, Choose Cannone declined to dismiss the fees, noting the jurors didn’t inform the court docket throughout their deliberations that they’d reached a verdict on any of the counts, based on the Related Press.
Final month, the state’s high appeals court rejected the defense filing and dominated Learn could be retried on the identical expenses.
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