Karen Read’s deadlocked jury leads to mistrial in Boston police officer boyfriend’s death

A decide declared a mistrial Monday after jurors deadlocked within the case of Karen Learn, a lady accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend by putting him along with her SUV and leaving him in a snowstorm, a case that drew outsize consideration due to true crime fanatics, conspiracy theorists and Learn’s pink-shirted supporters.

Decide Beverly Cannone referred to as for a standing listening to on July 22, when the commonwealth is predicted to ship a call on whether or not they’d prefer to strive the case once more. Prosecutors stated in an announcement that they intend to retry the case.

Legal professional Barry Bisson, who chairs the Massachusetts Bar Affiliation’s Legal Justice Council, stated the prosecution will doubtless “sit down with the household for awhile” earlier than transferring ahead.

“It’s unlucky for each side, as a result of Ms. Learn has to see if the commonwealth goes to strive the case once more, which may imply one other nine-week trial,” Bisson stated. “Then you’ve got the sufferer’s household who must sit by means of this another time if the commonwealth decides to undergo with it.”

The nationwide notoriety of the high-profile case may inhibit future jury choice, Bisson stated.

“Nobody may say that they haven’t seen or heard about this trial,” he stated. “That was the entire thing after they picked the jury the primary time, and now it’s been occurring for therefore lengthy, within the information each single day, most likely nobody within the commonwealth can say that they haven’t heard about this case. That’s most likely going to make it even tougher to select a jury subsequent time.”

Learn, a former adjunct professor at Bentley School, confronted second-degree homicide and different fees within the demise of Officer John O’Keefe, a 16-year member of the Boston police who was discovered exterior a Canton house of one other Boston police officer in January 2022. An post-mortem discovered O’Keefe died of hypothermia and blunt pressure trauma.

Prosecutors stated Learn and O’Keefe had been consuming closely earlier than she dropped him off at a celebration on the house of Brian Albert, a fellow officer. They stated she hit him along with her SUV earlier than driving away.

The protection sought to painting Learn because the sufferer, saying O’Keefe was really had been killed inside Albert’s house after which dragged exterior and left for useless. They argued that investigators centered on Learn as a result of she was a “handy outsider” who saved them from having to think about different suspects, together with Albert and different regulation enforcement officers on the celebration.

On Friday, a jury foreperson instructed the decide that they hadn’t reached a unanimous verdict regardless of an “exhaustive evaluate of the proof.” The decide instructed jurors to maintain making an attempt. On Monday morning, jurors stated they have been at an deadlock, however the decide requested them to proceed deliberating. Within the afternoon, they stated it might be futile to proceed.

“The deep division will not be as a consequence of an absence of effort or diligence however relatively a honest adherence to our particular person rules or ethical convictions,” the jury stated in a word learn by the decide in courtroom.

O’Keefe’s mom cried after the mistrial was declared, whereas Learn hugged her father and different family.

The Norfolk County district legal professional’s workplace stated in an announcement: “First, we thank the O’Keefe household for his or her dedication and dedication to this lengthy course of. They maintained sight of the true core of this case — to seek out justice for John O’Keefe. The Commonwealth intends to re-try the case.”

Protection legal professional Alan Jackson stated he and others representing Learn will hold combating.

“They failed. They failed miserably, they usually’ll proceed to fail. Regardless of how lengthy it takes, irrespective of how lengthy they hold making an attempt, we won’t cease combating,” he instructed reporters exterior courtroom.

Testimony in the course of the two-month trial centered on shoddy police work and relationships between the events. Police acknowledged utilizing pink plastic cups to gather blood proof and a leaf blower to attempt to clear away snow to disclose proof. The lead investigator acknowledged making crude statements about Learn in texts from his private cellphone.

Consultants disagreed on whether or not O’Keefe’s accidents have been per being hit by Learn’s luxurious SUV, which had a damaged taillight. The protection contended the accidents have been attributable to an altercation and the Albert household’s aggressive canine.

Prosecutors relied on a number of first responders who testified that Learn admitted that she hit O’Keefe — saying “I hit him” — in addition to proof that Learn was legally intoxicated or near it eight hours later, after she returned to the home with pals they usually discovered the physique.

A number of witnesses testified the couple had a stormy relationship that had begun to bitter. Prosecutors offered offended texts between the couple hours earlier than O’Keefe died. In addition they performed voice messages from Learn to O’Keefe that have been left after she allegedly struck him, together with one left minutes afterward saying, “John I (expletive) hate you.”

Protection attorneys sought to poke holes within the police investigation, noting that Albert’s home was by no means looked for indicators of a struggle involving O’Keefe and that the crime scene was not secured. They urged that some proof — like items of her SUV’s cracked taillight, a damaged consuming glass and even a strand of hair — was planted by police.

A turning level within the trial got here when lead investigator, State Trooper Michael Proctor, took the stand. He acknowledged sending offensive texts about Learn to pals, household and fellow troopers in the course of the investigation. He apologized for the language he used however insisted they’d no affect on the investigation.

In his texts, he referred to as Learn a number of names, together with “whack job.” At one level, he texted his sister that he wished Learn would “kill herself,” which he instructed jurors was a determine of speech. And regardless of having relationships with a number of witnesses, he remained on the case.

Two professional witnesses employed by the U.S. Division of Justice throughout an investigation of police dealing with of the case testified for the protection, offering a scientific evaluation for his or her conclusion that O’Keefe’s accidents and the bodily proof didn’t sync with the prosecution concept that he was struck and injured by Learn’s 7,000-pound car.

O’Keefe had a major head damage and different accidents however lacked important bruising or damaged bones usually related to being hit by a car on the pace indicated by GPS and the SUV’s onboard pc.

Whereas the drama performed out in a courtroom, dozens of Learn’s supporters wearing pink gathered every day exterior, carrying “Free Karen Learn” indicators and mobbing her when she arrived every day. Motorists honked their horns in help. A smaller group of people that need Learn convicted additionally turned up.

Mary McManus, a longtime Canton resident and retired college instructor, used to think about Canton a “sleepy little city.” However she stated the case motivated residents to make their voices heard, and once-quiet city conferences remodeled into contentious affairs. 

“It’s disheartening to know that we now have to start out this course of another time, but it surely’s good in a manner too, as a result of it’s an eye-opener,” she stated. “It’s having the individuals on the town have a look at what’s occurring and taking a extra energetic function within the course of.”

Heather Fairfield, a property supervisor who has lived in Canton for 50 years, says the roughly 24,000-person neighborhood has been divided by the “polarizing” case, with many residents afraid to specific their opinions out of worry of being ostracized or alienating their neighbors.

She stated she was alarmed to listen to about how the crime scene was processed by Canton police, who used a leaf blower to take away snow from the scene and picked up proof in pink plastic cups and paper luggage, based on testimony from Lt. Paul Gallagher of Canton Police.

“The largest downside we now have right here, truthfully, is that the police broke belief with the neighborhood by not doing this investigation correctly,” Fairfield stated. “And since they broke belief with the individuals on this city by not doing what they need to have performed, the individuals on this city at the moment are breaking belief with one another, as a result of individuals really feel compelled to take sides.”

Suspicions of police corruption following O’Keefe’s demise led residents to vote for an impartial audit of the police division final November. In January, inside communications confirmed an ongoing federal probe into the Norfolk District Legal professional’s workplace.

The chaos of the case has challenged Canton residents’ belief in authority and police, Fairfield stated.

“It’s private, as a result of I’ve to reside on this city,” she stated. “I now must be afraid that if one thing occurred to one among my family members, that is how the investigation goes to be dealt with, with this stage of carelessness.”

GBH Information reporter Tori Bedford contributed response from legal professional Barry Bisson and Canton residents.