Deliberations continue in Karen Read murder trial after jurors’ questioned answered

Jury deliberations continued Wednesday in the Karen Read retrial after jurors asked the judge several questions about evidence presented in the case and the verdict slips. Read, 45, of Mansfield, a former adjunct professor at Bentley University, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges in connection with the death of John O’Keefe, her boyfriend and a Boston police officer. Prosecutors allege that Read hit O’Keefe with her SUV during a snowstorm on Jan. 29, 2022, following a night of drinking. Her first trial ended with a hung jury. Video: Jury returns with 4 questions for judgeThe jury of seven women and five men has now deliberated more than 16 hours.After two days without any communication, the jury returned Tuesday with several questions. The first question: What is the time frame for the OUI charge: 12:45 a.m. or 5 a.m.? Judge Beverly Cannone told the jury they have all the evidence they need and said they are “the fact finders.”The jury also asked if Read’s media interviews are considered evidence. Cannone said “yes.”The third question was: Does convicting on a sub-charge convict on the main charge, for example, OUI. In response, Cannone amended the verdict slip to make it more clear.Former Attorney General Martha Coakley said that question could be a good sign for the prosecution. “You would think there are some people who think there is some accountability for Karen Read. It’s also potentially good news for the defense also because they’re looking at maybe OUI charge, lesser included. That could be a probation,” Coakley said.The last question from the jury was: If we find Read not guilty on two charges but can’t agree on one charge, is it a hung jury?Cannone told the jurors that was a hypothetical question, so she couldn’t give an answer.Defense attorney Alan Jackson pressed her to go further, saying this risked a repeat of last year. After the first trial, several jurors said they were ready to find Read not guilty on the charges of murder and the leaving the scene, but were deadlocked on the vehicular manslaughter charge.What to know about the case:Karen Read, 45, of Mansfield, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges. The prosecution says she hit her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, with her vehicle outside of a home in Canton during a snowstorm on Jan. 29, 2022, following a night of drinking.The defense centered on allegations of a cover-up involving members of several law enforcement agencies. They say O’Keefe was beaten inside the home, bitten by a dog and then left outside.Testimony in Read’s first trial began on April 29, 2024, following opening statements. It ended on July 1 when jurors reported being hopelessly deadlocked, and a mistrial was declared.Read’s team vowed to keep fighting, and her defense has waged a considerable battle across multiple courts, attempting to get charges dropped or have the case thrown out entirely. Meanwhile, a federal investigation into the case concluded without any charges being filed against police.Ultimately, jury selection for Read’s retrial began on April 1 and continued through April 15. Eighteen jurors were selected, and 12 of them will deliberate on the verdicts. Seven of the deliberating jurors are women, and five are men. The six alternates were separated from the group. Video: Prosecution’s opening statementVideo: Defense’s opening statementVideo: Prosecution’s closing argumentVideo: Defense’s closing statement