‘Their strongest points’: Attorney Peter Elikann discusses closing arguments in Karen Read trial

DEDHAM, Mass. — Attorney Peter Elikann says closing arguments in the Karen Read murder trial give both sides an opportunity to summarize their strongest points.

“They really are a summation of everything you’ve heard,” Elikann said Tuesday morning, shortly before closing arguments began in the trial for Read, who is accused of hitting her Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe with her car and killing him in 2022.

“The defense is going to just keep saying this case was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt, I mean, there were no eyewitnesses to this thing,” Elikann said. “Even the medical examiner couldn’t really decide the motive of death, saying ‘Gee, it could’ve been a punch, or it could’ve been hit by a car. We don’t really know.’ So if I was the defense counsel, I’d be hammering away again and again with that phrase, almost obnoxious I’d be saying it so many times: Beyond a reasonable doubt.”

A romance turned deadly or police frame job? Closing arguments loom in Karen Read murder trial

The prosecution “is going to go with the evidence that they had,” Elikann said. “They claim that she admitted to it, they’ll say circumstantial evidence shows that it had to be her. And so they’re both going to just sum up for the jury their strongest points.”

Each side has one hour for closing arguments to make their final case to the jury.

How jurors will decide Read’s fate is unknown, Elikann said.

“We’ve been surprised by juries before. We’ve been shocked,” Elikann said.

“You don’t really know what a jury’s going to do. They surprise us quite frequently,” he added.

Elikann said he did not expect a verdict to be reached on Tuesday.

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

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