Jury deliberates fate in Karen Read murder trial
- Karen Read accused of murder in connection to John O'Keefe's 2022 death
- Prosecutor maintains the couple's relationship had soured
- Defense claims Read is an innocent victim of a police cover-up
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DEDHAM, Mass. (NewsNation) — Closing arguments in the murder trial of a woman accused of striking her Boston police officer boyfriend with an SUV concluded Tuesday, with each side taking their full one-hour allotment.
The judge ordered a brief recess following closing arguments in the high-profile trial against Karen Read, which started almost two months ago.
Jurors returned to the courtroom Tuesday afternoon to receive instructions, and deliberations started.
Juror dismissed in Karen Read trial
A female juror was dismissed Tuesday morning, making her the third juror to be dismissed since the start of the criminal trial. She was questioned by the judge, responded “alright” and then stormed out of the courtroom.
Law enforcement was blocking off streets where the jury enters and exits, but NewsNation crews spotted the juror getting into a bus to be transported away.
The jury pool is now at 14 people; 12 are deliberating and two are alternates.
Karen Read charged with murder
Read, 43, of Mansfield, Massachusetts, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges in the death of her boyfriend, John O’Keefe.
O’Keefe, a 16-year veteran of the Boston Police Department, was found unresponsive January 2022 in a snowbank outside of a fellow police officer’s home in Canton, Massachusetts. He was rushed to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
What happened to John O’Keefe?
Prosecutors claim Read hit him with her SUV outside of the home during a snowstorm after a night of drinking. The couple was going to the house to hang out with friends, but witnesses testified that neither made it there.
During the trial, prosecutors relied heavily on what Read reportedly said in the moments after O’Keefe’s body was found. For example, witnesses reported her saying something along the lines of “I hit him, I hit him, Oh my god, I hit him.”
The defense, meanwhile, says Read is the innocent victim of a police cover-up, saying O’Keefe was killed during a fight at the house and dumped on the front lawn.
“‘Look the other way’ — four words that sum up the Commonwealth’s entire case. Four words that sum up the hopes of those who have tried to deceive you. Conflicts of interest? Doesn’t matter. Just look the other way,” defense attorney Alan Jackson said. “That’s what they’re counting on. But the uncontroversial fact is you have been lied to in this courtroom. And your job is to make sure you don’t ever, ever look the other way.”
Casting doubt in Read trial
Dedham, MA – April 29: Karen Read supporters held signs as they stood a short distance down the road from Norfolk Superior Court where her trial was taking place. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) 
Dedham, MA – April 29: Karen Read supporters reacted to an attorney’s statement as they gathered around a phone plugged into a speaker and listened to opening arguments in her trial as they stood a short distance down the road from Norfolk Superior Court. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) 
Dedham, MA – April 29: A Karen Read supporter who did not wish to give her name held a sign as she and other supporters stood a short distance down the road from Norfolk Superior Court. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Three defense witnesses who testified Monday cast doubt on prosecutors’ version of events. They shared opinions and evidence that they say prove O’Keefe’s injuries were not consistent with him being struck by a car.
More than 200 Read supporters were outside the courthouse Tuesday for closing arguments.
“Police take an oath and are held to a higher standard than the average citizen. They should follow what their oaths are. You don’t pin a murder on someone that is innocent. And there could be many people that this is happening to now. Everything’s getting exposed at this point,” said Dina Warchal, a Read supporter.
Read did not take the stand Monday after the three final witnesses testified in the high-profile case that’s created a media storm, in part by accusations of police misconduct fueled by true crime bloggers.
When asked by reporters how she felt before entering the courtroom, though, Read answered that she was great and hoping for justice.
NewsNation affiliate WPRI and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
