The Norfolk District Attorney's Office announced that they will re-try the Karen Read case after a mistrial was declared Monday afternoon.
"First, we thank the O'Keefe family for their commitment and dedication to this long process. They maintained sight of the true core of this case -- to find justice for John O'Keefe," the district attorney's office said in a statement. "The Commonwealth intends to re-try the case."
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The next step in the case will be a status conference scheduled by Judge Beverly Cannone on July 22 at 2 p.m. in Norfolk Superior Court.
A jury foreperson told the judge Friday that they hadn’t reached a unanimous verdict despite an “exhaustive review of the evidence.” They were told to continue deliberating. They did but came back Monday afternoon and said it would be futile to continue.
The jury was tasked with deciding whether prosecutors proved that Read drunkenly and intentionally slammed into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her Lexus SUV and left him to die. The defense challenged the evidence and suggested that one or more law enforcement colleagues killed John O’Keefe, dumped his body outside in a panic, and then framed Read to cover it up.
Read was charged with second-degree murder, punishable in Massachusetts by life in prison with the possibility of parole. She also faced lesser charges of manslaughter while operating a vehicle under the influence, punishable by five to 20 years, and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, punishable by up to 10 years.
