DEDHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - After the Karen Read murder trial was declared a mistrial Monday, 7News legal analyst Tom Hoopes said that both the defense and prosecution “have a lot at stake” when it comes to a second trial.
Since the jury was stuck at an impasse and could not come to a unanimous verdict, Hoopes said that Read’s legal team will need to strengthen its case to convince the jury when the case is back in the courtroom.
“If it’s going to get retried, then they’re going to have to figure out, is there anything that they could do differently or better the next time it comes up,” Hoopes said.
“So, they’re going to be thinking on their side like a chess match,” he continued. “And the prosecution’s going to be thinking about is it going to go forward, and if so, what can they do different the next time?”
Hoopes said the Karen Read murder trial is the kind of case that could easily provoke strong feelings on both sides, making it difficult for a jury to come together on the matter.
He said he believed Read’s defense attorneys and family members were relieved that the judge declared a mistrial, although the outcome was still not ideal.
“Well, I’m sure they’re happy today in the sense that it wasn’t a guilty verdict but unhappy that it wasn’t a not guilty verdict,” Hoopes said.
The prosecution and defense will meet again with the judge on July 22, for a “status date,” Hoopes said. This is when the judge would put together a schedule for a new trial, he said.
“Both sides have a lot at stake here and they’re going to put the time and the effort and the energy into trying to figure out different paths on both sides,” he said.
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