Live updates: Judge declares mistrial in Karen Read murder trial

DEDHAM, Mass. — BREAKING (2:38 p.m.): Judge Beverly Cannon has declared a mistrial in the Karen Read murder trial.

Deliberations in the Karen Read murder trial resumed Monday morning with “deeply divided” jurors again telling the judge in a note that they remain deadlocked and can’t reach a verdict.

The note the jury handed to Cannone read, “Despite all commitment to the duty entrusted to us, we find ourselves deeply divided by fundamental differences in our opinions and state of mind. The divergence in our views is not rooted in a lack of understanding or effort, but in deeply held convictions that each of us carry ultimately leading to a point where consensus is unattainable. We recognize the weight of this submission and the implications it holds.”

Judge Beverly Cannone then gave the jury Tuey-Rodriguez instructions, also known as a “dynamite” charge, in a last-ditch effort to reach a verdict.

Read, 44, of Mansfield, is accused of hitting her Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe with her car and leaving him for dead in the snow in Canton in January 2022, but the defense has made a case that she is being framed.

Jurors have been deliberating since Tuesday, June 25. Monday marks the fifth day of deliberations.

• WATCH LIVE: Streaming verdict watch updates from the court begin at 9 a.m.
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• Live court updates from Boston 25′s Ted Daniel

LIVE UPDATES FROM COURT:

2:38 p.m.

• “I’m declaring a mistrial,” Judge Beverly Cannone said.

2:35 p.m.

• The jury in the Karen Read murder trial indicates for a 3rd time that they have tried but are unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
• Judge said, “The jury is at an impasse.”

2:25 p.m.

• The Karen Read jurors have another note for the judge amid struggles to reach a verdict.

1 p.m.

12 p.m.

11:30 a.m.

• The jury note essentially said they have come as far as they think they can and don’t anticipate reaching a unanimous decision. They had the weekend to soul search and “fundamental differences” remain.

11:10 a.m.

• Judge Cannone gives the jury Tuey-Rodriguez instructions or a “dynamite” charge after the jury indicates they are “deeply divided” and have “fundamental differences” and a “census is unattainable.”

Judge gives special instructions, encourages Karen Read jurors to resolve ‘fundamental differences’

• The Court clerk says the judge will have to declare a mistrial if the jury comes back again, after this, without a verdict.

11 a.m.

• Breaking: The jury has come back a 2nd time in Karen Read murder trial saying they are deadlocked.
• The judge now asks both sides how they want to proceed. Lally says they need to keep going. Yannetti says it’s time to give the jury the “dynamite” or now or never instructions for a final push.
• We should hear the contents of the note they sent to the judge shortly when the jury is brought back in.

10:50 a.m.

• Everyone is being brought back into the courtroom. I’m told possible jury questions but we’ll find out soon.

9:30 a.m.

• Karen and her legal team have left the courthouse and are waiting at a nearby church to see if jurors reach a verdict today.

9:05 a.m.

• No apparent issues over the weekend. The jury is back at it.

9 a.m.

• Jurors enter the courtroom for morning check-in with Judge Cannone.

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Officer Killed Girlfriend Trial Before the jury enters, Judge Beverly J. Cannone, right, speaks to the defense and prosecution during the Karen Read trial at the Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Monday, July 1, 2024. This is their fifth day of deliberations in the murder trial for Read. Read is accused of backing her SUV into her Boston Police officer boyfriend, John O'Keefe, and leaving him to die in a blizzard in Canton, in 2022. (Pat GreenhouseThe Boston Globe via AP, Pool) (Pat Greenhouse/AP)

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On Friday, those jurors sent the judge a note saying that despite an exhaustive review of the evidence and diligent consideration, they had been unable to reach a unanimous verdict.

“The note doesn’t really indicate, affirmatively that they can’t come to a conclusion. It just says that they haven’t come to a conclusion,” prosecutor Adam Lally said.

Defense attorney David Yannetti responded, “They’re communicating to the court that they’ve exhausted all manner of compromise.” He continued, “They have nowhere to turn.”

Judge Beverly Cannone called this a long case with 74 witnesses, 657 exhibits, and very complex issues. She said she’s not prepared to find that there have been due and thorough deliberations at this point.

Karen Read jurors tell judge they’ve been unable to reach unanimous verdict Karen Read jurors tell judge they’ve been unable to reach unanimous verdict

Boston 25 News legal expert Peter Elikann weighed in, saying it’s not unusual for deliberations to last multiple weeks and it wouldn’t be surprising for the judge to send them back to the jury room again should they say they still couldn’t reach a verdict.

“A lot of people probably thought you go into a jury room you chat around the table for 45 minutes or so and you all kind of take a vote and it’s over but that’s not how it is,” Elikann said.

Elikann added, “There’s just so much to go over if you want to do a serious diligent job.”

Court resumes Monday at 9 a.m.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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