DEDHAM, Mass. (WBZ NewsRado) — The jury in the Karen Read murder retrial returned to Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham Monday for the first full day of deliberations.
Jurors were given the case Friday afternoon after lawyers for the defense and prosecution gave closing arguments earlier in the day.
Read is accused of backing into her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, with her SUV and leaving him for dead in the snow in Canton on Jan. 29, 2022. She has long maintained her innocence, arguing she is the victim of a police coverup.
Her first murder trial in 2024 ended in a mistrial after the jury said they could not reach an unanimous verdict. Read still faces three charges: second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor, and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.
On Monday, the defense filed a motion to amend the verdict slip for the manslaughter charge, saying it would be confusing to jurors that there is only a "not guilty" option for the main charge, and not for the lesser charges.
Judge Beverly Cannone denied the motion, writing that the "verdict slip is consistent with Massachusetts law" and is meant to be "viewed in conjunction with the jury instructions," which were already given to jurors on Friday.