DEDHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - Karen Read was found not guilty Wednesday on all counts except operating under the influence.
The jury determined she was not guilty of second-degree murder, not guilty of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated — but guilty of the lesser count of operating under the influence — and not guilty of leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death.
The prosecution recommended a sentence of one year probation.
“I just want to say two things. Number one is I could not be standing here without these amazing supports who have supported me and my team financially and, more importantly, emotionally, for almost four years. And the second thing I want to say is no one has fought harder for justice for John O’Keefe than I have — than I have and my team,” Read said outside the courthouse Wednesday afternoon.
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WATCH: Karen Read speaks after verdict is read
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Read’s father, Bill Read, also spoke after the verdict was read.
“I just want to acknowledge the strength of our daughter Karen, the support of the entire Read extended family. I want to acknowledge the greatest team of attorneys — our first one that we found was David Yannetti. We added Alan Jackson and Liza Little. Bob Alessi, you know about. It was a fantastic team but we needed them all to defeat this,” Bill Read said.
“We thank everybody for their support, from the heart. We love you all. All of the content providers who helped spread the word, thank you so much. God bless you all,” he continued.
Several witnesses in the Karen Read case released a joint statement about the verdict. It is signed by Jennifer McCabe, Matthew McCabe, Chris Albert, Julie Albert, Colin Albert, Nicole Albert, Brian Albert, Kerry Roberts, and Curt Roberts.
“Today, our hearts are with John and the entire O’Keefe family. They have suffered through so much and deserved better from our justice system,” the statement said. “While we may have more to say in the future, today we mourn with John’s family and lament the cruel reality that this prosecution was infected by lies and conspiracy theories spread by Karen Read, her defense team, and some in the media. The result is a devastating miscarriage of justice.”
At first, confusion in the courtroom
After lunch on Wednesday, Judge Beverly Cannone told the court that the jury indicated that they had a verdict, but then reported they actually did not have one.
Less than 20 minutes later, the jury reported they had actually reached a verdict again.
The jury had four questions for Cannone Tuesday.
The first set of questions were about the timeframe of the operating under the influence charge, whether video clips of Read’s interviews can be considered evidence, and whether conviction of a subcharge is the same as conviction on the overall charge.
Later Tuesday, the jury came back with a fourth question — if the jury finds Read not guilty on two charges but cannot agree on the third, is it a hung jury on all three charges or just one?
Cannone created an amended verdict slip for the jurors.
Read was accused of hitting and killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, with her car during a snowstorm in January 2022. Read’s defense team argued that the investigation failed to properly pursue other possible leads.
Read’s first trial ended in a hung jury.
Supporters clad in pink cheer as verdict is read
A sea of Read’s supporters stood nearby Wednesday, many wearing the color pink and holding signs that said ‘Free Karen Read.’ As soon as Read’s verdict was read, cheers erupted from the crowd waiting outside.
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WATCH: Karen Read supporters eagerly waited for a verdict
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Read used sign language as she walked into the courthouse to show love to those in favor of a not guilty verdict.
For this second trial, during testimony, supporters were kept away due to an order from the judge to put a buffer zone in front of the courthouse.
Supporters came from near and far — even Kansas.
“I got here at midnight. I got into Boston at midnight last night,” said Leslie Vasquez, of Kansas. “I really hope that God worked it out that I’m here on, like, the best day. I mean, ‘not guilty’ today.”
Massachusetts State Police troopers guided Read and her attorneys through the sea of supporters and into a black SUV after court.
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
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