DEDHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - Jurors in the Karen Read murder retrial began their first full day of deliberations Monday.
Following the first full day of deliberations, the jury did not reach a verdict.
Read and her lawyers left Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham after Judge Beverly Cannone denied their motion to amend the verdict slip. The defense team argued the slip for Read’s manslaughter charge was confusing for jurors, with a “not guilty” box and then several “guilty” boxes for lesser charges.
Read spoke about the judge’s decision as she left court.
“I think what happened last year with the same verdict form explains that the jurors themselves don’t understand it, and they said as much, so we just wanted to avoid that again. Apparently the board is not concerned so we’ll just move forward,” Read said.
7News got a look at the verdict slip last week. Read’s team wanted to add more boxes to the slip to give the jury more choice in their final verdict.
A large crowd of Read’s supporters gathered nearby, clad in pink.
Both the defense and prosecution delivered their closing arguments Friday. The jury then deliberated for less than two hours before being dismissed for the weekend.
Defense attorney Alan Jackson urged jurors to find Read not guilty, calling them the last line of defense. Special prosecutor Hank Brennan maintained the argument that Read was solely responsible for the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe.
Read is accused of killing O’Keefe by hitting him with her SUV and leaving him to die in the snow in January 2022. She faces three charges — second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death.
Her defense argues she is being framed in a police coverup.
The first trial ended in a hung jury last summer.
The jury will return on Tuesday for another day of deliberations.
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