A judge declared a mistrial in the case of Karen Read, a Massachusetts woman accused of killing her boyfriend, ending a contentious, months-long trial that drew intense attention and protest to the courthouse in Dedham, Ma. After five days of deliberation, the jury could not reach a verdict on Read, 44, who was charged with second-degree murder in the death of 46-year-old Boston police officer John O'Keefe after his body was found outside the home of Brian Albert, a friend of the couple, on a snowy night in 2022, reports USA Today.
A jury told Norfolk County Judge Beverly Cannone on Friday and again on Monday that it could not reach unanimous agreement. The trial included testimony from more than 65 witnesses, from forensic experts and police investigators to multiple members of Albert's family and Okeefe's, since it began at the end of April. The case stirred a frenzied online following and attracted protesters, mostly advocating for Read's innocence, leading the judge to impose a 200-foot buffer zone around the courthouse. Prosecutors painted a picture of a fraught relationship that O'Keefe wanted to end, arguing Read struck O'Keefe with her car and drove away after a night of drinking. The defense claimed Read was the victim of a cover-up scheme by local law enforcement to protect Albert, also a police officer, and his family. Evidence at the crime scene suggested O'Keefe was beaten inside Albert's home, bitten by a dog, and left outside.