DEDHAM, Mass. — Karen Read says she’s feeling anxious and has butterflies ahead of closing arguments in her murder retrial and the subsequent jury deliberations, which could begin as early as Friday morning.
While the nerves are very real for Read, she’s confident that the case her lawyers presented in her second trial is stronger than last year, when a mistrial was declared over a hung jury.
“I thought it was strong last year. It’s stronger, yes,” Read told reporters outside court on Wednesday after she was asked, “Do you think your case was stronger this time?”
Read added, "We just pulled more witnesses and laid out more of the case.”
Read, 45, of Mansfield, is accused of striking John O’Keefe, her Boston police officer boyfriend, with her Lexus SUV and leaving him to die alone in a blizzard outside of a house party in Canton at the home of fellow officer Brian Albert on Jan. 29, 2022, following a night of drinking.
During her retrial, Read’s lawyers called ten witnesses and argued that O’Keefe, 46, was beaten, bitten by a dog, then left outside a home in Canton in a conspiracy orchestrated by the police that included planting evidence against Read.
The defense rested its case late Wednesday. On Thursday, attorneys in the case met with Judge Beverly Cannone to discuss instructions for Friday without the jurors present.
Cannone set the start of closing arguments for 9 a.m. Friday. After that, the jurors will get the case.
Read said she just hopes the jurors have been listening since opening statements were delivered on April 22.
“I just hope they were listening. That’s all I can ask for. They were in the same room I was...For the last 31 days,” Read said.
Read added, “I feel good about the jury. We selected them. I was there and took part in it. We chose fair, truthful, civic-minded people.
After there was confusion over the verdict slip during last year’s deliberations, Read said her team will have to have “an even keener eye” this time around.
Read shared a brief message after Thursday’s proceedings, saying that she “learned the hard way” from last year’s verdict slip controversy.
Read has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence, and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death.
Get caught up with all of the latest in Karen Read’s retrial.
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