A sea of pink surrounds the streets leading to Norfolk Superior Court as the jury in the Karen Read murder trial is in its second day of deliberations.
These Read supporters, who have grown in numbers over the past nine weeks, say they feel a verdict will be coming soon.
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“There is no doubt in my mind that this jury is going to bring back a not guilty verdict and exonerate Karen Read,” said Rita Lombardi, a Read supporter.
Stacey Doherty, of Braintree, said, “Everyone’s here for justice. We want answers.”
NBC10 Boston legal analyst Michael Coyne said that while he expects a relatively quick verdict, he thinks the jury will be mindful to weigh all the evidence before reaching a decision – especially knowing the intense amount of interest in this high-profile case.
But he thinks the jury will be hard-pressed to side with the government.
“That reasonable doubt standard is an incredibly hard standard for good reason, and I just think that the jurors are going to have problems getting past some of the various open questions that still exist," Coyne said.
Many outside the courthouse think that even when this trial is wrapped up, there will continue to be questions. And they say their advocacy for Read and against the prosecution will not end on the sidewalks surrounding the courthouse here in Dedham.
“Norfolk County DA’s office works for us and that’s why they’re here," Karen Read supporter Marshall Lane said. "We’re letting them know they work for us. We are not in servitude to them, and they cannot strip us of our rights like they’re trying to do to Karen Read.”
This group of supporters said they’ll continue to show up as long as it takes for the jury to reach its verdict.
