Northeast

Karen Read murder case ends in mistrial with ‘deeply divided’ jury

Published

2 years ago

July 3, 2024

Press Room

Karen Read murder case ends in mistrial with ‘deeply divided’ jury

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Karen Read’s murder-or-conspiracy trial, scripted like a TV drama, ends in a mistrial.

The Massachusetts jury had been deadlocked for days and couldn’t come to a unanimous decision about Read’s innocence or guilty after nearly 26 hours of deliberations.

The 44-year-old woman, who was accused of killing her Boston cop boyfriend John O’Keefe, smiled outside the Dedham courthouse. She stood next to her lawyers, David Yannetti and Alan Jackson, who said prosecutors relied on a compromised investigator.

“We will not stop fighting,” Jackson said, and it appears they will have to.

“The Commonwealth intends to re-try the case,” the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office said within minutes of Monday afternoon’s outcome.

KAREN READ TRIAL COULD SINK OTHER HIGH-PROFILE MURDERS, EXPERT WARNS: ‘HARD TO SEE HOW IT DOESN’T’

Karen Read smiles during a news conference in front of Norfolk Superior Court, Monday, July 1, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. A judge declared a mistrial Monday after jurors deadlocked in the case of Read, who was accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend by striking him with her SUV and leaving him in a snowstorm. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Karen Read smiles as defense attorney David Yannett speaks to reporters in front of Norfolk Superior Court after the judge declared a mistrial after jurors were unable to reach a verdict following a two-month trial, Monday, July 1, 2024, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

The jury, which heard from 74 witnesses and examined nearly 700 pieces of evidence during the polarizing trial, first told presiding Judge Beverly Cannone they were deadlocked late last week.

They doubled down late Monday morning when the jury penned a well-crafted note to the judge.

“Despite our commitment, we are deeply divided by fundamental differences. No lack of understanding or effort. Consensus is not reachable,” the jury said.

WATCH: DASHCAM FROM THE NIGHT JOHN O’KEEFE WAS FOUND DEAD

Cannone issued a dynamite charge (or Allen charge), which is a last-resort option to force jurors to go continue deliberations and try to reach a unanimous verdict.

The result was the same. “Despite our commitment to the duty entrusted in us, we find ourselves deeply divided by fundamental differences in our opinions and state of mind,” the jury wrote in a note to the judge.

Karen Read talks with her legal team at the Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Monday, July 1, 2024. Read was accused of backing her SUV into her Boston Police officer boyfriend, John O’Keefe, and leaving him to die in a blizzard in Canton, in 2022. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)

Karen Read gets a long hug from her dad William before the jury breaks for lunch at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)

The jubilation on Read’s side of the courtroom was a stark contrast to the tears and defeated faces on O’Keefe’s side.

The Boston police officer’s mom was being consoled by family and friends as Read hugged her dad and reached her hand to thank her supporters.

WATCH: EXPERT REACTS TO PROCTOR’S TESTIMONY AND EXPLAINS ITS FAR-REACHING IMPACT

O’Keefe’s body was found in several inches of snow outside the home of Boston police officer Brian Albert.

Prosecutors alleged Read purposely backed into him with her SUV during a booze-infused fight in January 2022 and let him die on the front lawn of a Canton, Massachusetts, home during a nor’easter.

Karen Read, center, listens as Judge Beverly J. Cannone greets the jury at the start of the third day of deliberations in her murder trial, in Norfolk Superior Court on Thursday, June 27, 2024 in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)

Judge Beverly Cannone looks over the verdict slip the jurors have to fill out when they reach a verdict in Karen Read’s murder trial, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)

Read claimed she was framed in an elaborate cover-up to protect the Alberts, an influential family with deep law enforcement ties.

She pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter while driving under the influence and leaving the scene of a collision causing injury and death.

7M AND THE DANCING TIKTOK CULT: EXPERT DISCUSSES POPULAR NETFLIX SERIES AND ITS LARGER THREAT

The mistrial mimicked the civil-war-like atmosphere in the Boston suburb between Read supporters and critics.

Protesters voiced their opinions, #FreeKaren billboards cropped up, and family and friends of both sides of the case were lambasted and heckled.

Supporters of Karen Read gather outside the courthouse in Dedham, MA on Friday, June 28, 2024. (Patriot Pics/Backgrid for Fox News Digital)

One of O’Keefe’s friends told Fox News Digital that Read supporters shouted profanities and heckled them as they entered the courtroom for the first day of the trial.

Aidan “Turtleboy” Kearney, a controversial blogger who was frequently seen with a bullhorn backing Read and writing about the case, was assaulted outside a Canton bar over the weekend.

GO HERE FOR MORE TRUE CRIME FROM FOX NEWS DIGITAL

Jillian Daniels and James Farris, two Canton residents, were charged with assault, police confirmed to NBC 10 Boston.

Shortly before the trial started, Kearney was arrested after he allegedly was “showing up” at sporting events of witnesses’ children and “made scenes,” harassed and photographed witnesses at their homes and jobs and instructed followers of his blog to do the same.

He pleaded not guilty to all charges, including witness intimidation. That case is ongoing.

Massachusetts blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Kearney was charged with witness intimidation for allegedly threatening witnesses in a murder case in Massachusetts. (Aidan Kearney(@DoctorTurleboy)/X)

Before the jury enters, Judge Beverly J. Cannone, right, speaks to the defense and prosecution during the Karen Read trial at the Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Monday, July 1, 2024. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)

Prosecutor Adam Lally speaks in court during jury selection of the Karen Read trial at Norfolk County Superior Court on Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Dedham, Massachusetts. Read, 44, was accused of running into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of a nor’easter and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (David McGlynn/New York Post via AP, Pool)

He pleaded not guilty to all charges, including witness intimidation. That case is ongoing.

BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO PROSECUTORS IN KAREN READ’S MURDER TRIAL: EXPERT

Another salacious piece of the trial involved the texts of Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, an investigator on the case whose vulgar, sexist texts were revealed during testimony.

The jurors noticeably shook their heads as he read the texts while on the stand during a brutal cross-examination.

In the personal texts, he called Read a “wack job,” a “babe … with no a–” and a “c—;” wished she would kill herself; and joked about looking for nude images on her phone, among other things.

GO HERE FOR MORE TRUE CRIME FROM FOX NEWS DIGITAL

Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor testifies during Karen Read’s trial on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)

Karen Read speaks with lawyers in court during jury selection at Norfolk County Superior Court on Thursday, April 18, 2024 in Dedham, Massachusetts. Read, 44, was accused of running into her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of a nor’easter and leaving him for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (David McGlynn/New York Post via AP, Pool)

The embattled state trooper admitted his messages were “unprofessional and regrettable,” as he was being pummeled by the defense’s cross-examination, but he stood by the integrity of the investigation.

Many law experts believe Proctor’s testimony sank the prosecution’s case.

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Northeast

Anti-ICE law set to take effect in Maine as governor faces increased criticism for allowing it amid Senate run

Published

33 minutes ago

January 29, 2026

Press Room

Anti-ICE law set to take effect in Maine as governor faces increased criticism for allowing it amid Senate run

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As anti-ICE protests continue to erupt across the country, a new Maine law restricting cooperation between state law enforcement and federal immigration authorities is set to take effect after Democratic Gov. Janet Mills declined to veto or delay the measure, drawing renewed criticism over her progressive record as she runs for Senate.

The law, passed by Maine’s Democrat-controlled legislature late last year, will soon take effect after the current legislative session ends and bars state and local law enforcement from assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a wide range of civil immigration matters.

Even though the law has not officially taken effect, Mills, who declined to veto or sign the law, which will take effect without her signature, has already ordered Maine State Police to begin enforcing its provisions, according to a report from the Portland Press Herald.

The legislation passed the Maine legislature by just one vote last year.

ICE LAUNCHES NEW OPERATION IN MAINE AMID TRUMP’S BROADER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRACKDOWN AROUND THE US

ICE’s federal law enforcement officers take a suspect into custody. (ICE)

Mills, who is running for Senate in the Democratic primary to unseat moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins, has recently called ICE “secret police” and said their “reckless actions” have “no place here.”

As ICE ramps up activity in Maine, including over 50 arrests in one day last week, Republicans in the state have pushed back against the ICE rhetoric coming from Mills.

“Let me be very clear: ICE agents are federal law enforcement officers,” Assistant House Republican Leader Katrina Smith said last week. “They take an oath. They operate under federal authority. And they show up to work knowing that rhetoric alone can make them a target. You can oppose immigration policy without turning the people enforcing the law into enemies.”

Mills released a statement on Saturday, shortly after federal immigration agents shot and killed an armed man in Minneapolis, demanding a meeting with President Trump and for him to remove ICE from Maine.

The immigration law is the latest in a series of high-profile decisions that critics say underscore Mills’ liberal record as Maine prepares for her State of the State address later this month.

Since taking office, Mills has expanded eligibility for MaineCare, the state’s Medicaid program, to include non-citizens regardless of immigration status. The policy allows taxpayer-funded health care for non-citizen children and pregnant individuals, a move Republicans say has driven up costs for working Mainers. State records show Maine has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on health care for individual illegal immigrants in recent years.

DEM GOVERNOR DROPS F-BOMB WHEN TROLLED FOR ALLEGED COCAINE USE

Democrat Gov. Janet Mills (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

MaineWire reported last month on a photo from a Maine city bus advertising how MaineCare is now being offered to “pregnant people and children under 21, with or without proof of citizenship” which prompted criticism of Mills from the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Mills has also repeatedly clashed with Trump, most notably over transgender policies. Last year, she publicly confronted the president over federal funding threats tied to allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports, vowing to sue the administration if funding was withheld.

Her administration has signed and defended a slate of laws expanding access to gender-affirming care, including protections for minors to receive certain treatments even if parents object, mandates requiring insurance coverage for such care, and measures shielding providers from out-of-state legal action.

On abortion, Mills has signed legislation expanding who can perform abortions, removed criminal penalties tied to reproductive care, and strengthened protections for providers and patients traveling to Maine from other states.

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AN ICE agent seen standing in front of a house in a residential area. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Ultimately, the NRSC told Fox News Digital it believes Mills is more focused on a “progressive agenda” than she is on results for the state.

“Janet Mills has spent her time as Governor expanding transgender rights, offering taxpayer-funded healthcare to illegal aliens, and combating the Trump administration every chance she gets,” NRSC Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell told Fox News Digital.

“Mainers deserve a Senator who is focused on delivering real results, not Janet Mills who is more concerned with pushing her progressive agenda on Maine.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Mills’ campaign for comment.

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.

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New York

Video: N.Y.P.D. Investigates Car Crash at Chabad Headquarters as Hate Crime

Published

2 hours ago

January 29, 2026

Press Room

Video: N.Y.P.D. Investigates Car Crash at Chabad Headquarters as Hate Crime

new video loaded: N.Y.P.D. Investigates Car Crash at Chabad Headquarters as Hate Crime

The police arrested a driver who rammed his car into the Chabad global headquarters in New York City. There were no injuries, and the incident was being investigated as a hate crime, the police commissioner said.

By Axel Boada

January 29, 2026

Boston, MA

Philadelphia Flyers vs Boston Bruins: Odds, Spread, and Total

Published

3 hours ago

January 29, 2026

Press Room

Philadelphia Flyers vs Boston Bruins: Odds, Spread, and Total

The Philadelphia Flyers will attempt to improve their 24-19-9 record and the prevailing mood among their fans when paying a visit to the Boston Bruins for Thursday’s faceoff at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Philadelphia has only won two of its last 11 games, as fatigue strikes a lineup that was already losing steam. Thursday’s game will be the Flyers’ third in four nights after a 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders on Monday and 5-3 defeat in Columbus that spoiled Travis Konecny’s hat trick on Wednesday. Philadelphia went from scoring 11 times in two games to mustering just 21 shots against the Isles, followed by the Columbus letdown as the fading Flyers try not to plunge out of the Metropolitan Division’s top four.

Boston is in no such slump, having claimed an amazing 19 points from the last 11 Spokes dates. But with some irony, the Bruins can’t quite break into the top four in their Atlantic Division, still trying to fend off the defending champion Florida Panthers in the standings just below them. The Bruins have improved their record to 31-20-3 without making much headway in the race, making both clubs anxious in Boston.

Flyers +1.5 (-178)
Bruins -1.5 (+150)

Over 6.5 (+104)
Under 6.5 (-113)

Note: The above data was collected on Jan. 29, 2026, and may have changed since writing.

Philadelphia Flyers vs Boston Bruins Betting Trends

Totals have gone under in three of the last four meetings.
Boston has gone a perfect 7-0 on home ice in 2026.
The Flyers are 2-7-2 in their previous 11 games.

Philadelphia Flyers vs Boston Bruins Injury Reports

Centerman Rodrigo Abols is on injured reserve with an ankle injury.
Defenseman Ryan Ellis is out for the season with a back injury.
Winger Tyson Foerster is out for the season with an arm injury.
Goaltender Dan Vladar is probable with a lower-body injury.

Centerman Elias Lindholm is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Defenseman Jordan Harris is questionable with an ankle injury.

Philadelphia Flyers vs Boston Bruins Predictions and Picks

It’s curious that the Flyers and Bruins had a total of six encounters in 2024 without meeting once in the calendar year of 2025. Bruins’ odds to win are boosted by this January’s home games going a perfect 7-0 for Boston, just as Philly deals with Trevor Zegras’ zero goals in the previous five games. Coach Rich Tocchet is criticizing Zegras for a lack of “pace,” as told by Joe DeMarini of Broad Street Buzz.

Boston’s star forward David Pastrnak is skating with plenty of pace, currently sixth in the league with 69 points in 49 games played. But even when Pasta is cooking, it’s the sniping ability of 27-year-old Morgan Geekie that is stirring the drinks at TD Garden. Geekie, on a career pace with 30 goals this season, has scored in three straight games for the Bruins, netting two assists in Boston’s prior 4-3 win over Vegas.

The Flyers’ power play ranks 30th in the NHL, a sign that not even a rash of Bruins penalties could save the Flyers’ effort in Boston. Tocchet has become frustrated enough to pull the ailing Dan Vladar or another goalie too early with a one-goal deficit, making Boston into a more potent puck-line bet.

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