Live updates: Jury in Karen Read’s retrial sent home for weekend without verdict

Cannone spent about an hour instructing the jury on the relevant law and how to apply it to the case’s facts. She said she would keep the jurors at the courthouse for deliberations until about 5 or 5:30 p.m. before breaking for the weekend.

Cannone ended up dismissing the jury at 4:30 p.m., telling jurors and attorneys to “enjoy the weekend with no work.” They will return first thing Monday to continue deliberations.

Lawyers spent the morning delivering their closing arguments.

Defense attorney Alan Jackson argued that his client was framed in a police cover-up. Prosecutor Hank Brennan countered that Read callously decided to leave O’Keefe dying in the snow.

LIVE VERDICT WATCH:

Here’s how today’s court proceedings unfolded:

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 second trial, Read’s lawyers argued that O’Keefe, 46, was beaten, bitten by a dog, then left outside Albert’s home in a conspiracy orchestrated by the police that included planting evidence against Read.

Read’s first trial ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury on July 1, 2024, after several jurors came out to say that the panel had unanimously agreed that Read was not guilty of the most serious charge of second-degree murder.

After the prosecution and defense are given 75 minutes to deliver their closing arguments, there will be a quick lunch break before Judge Beverly Cannone issues jury instructions, selects a foreman, and sends off 12 jurors to deliberate Read’s fate.

The jurors have a lot to consider after hearing from 50 witnesses over 31 days of testimony: Did Read hit O’Keefe? Was there any collision at all? Or is someone else responsible for his death?

The defense rested its case on Wednesday, and the prosecution indicated they wouldn’t call any rebuttal witnesses. On Thursday, lawyers in the case met with Cannone to decide on jury instructions and the all-important verdict slip.

Boston 25 News legal expert Peter Elikann said cases have been won or lost on a well-crafted closing argument.

“There’s almost a certain arrogance to doing a closing because you’re saying to the jury, ‘Look, you heard it all, but we’re going to tell you what you just heard.’ And yet it still is very important to kind of try to put the entire case into perspective for them, all the evidence that they heard, try to make sense of it in a logical pattern for the jury.”

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.

Read said earlier this week that she’s feeling anxious and has butterflies.

“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 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.

Attorneys and jurors were instructed to arrive in court by 8:30 a.m. Friday to ensure arguments can start right at 9 a.m.

Get caught up with all of the latest in Karen Read’s retrial.

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