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Karen Read arrives at Massachusetts court through sea of ‘cop killer’ chants, supporters in fight to drop case

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Karen Read arrives at Massachusetts court through sea of ‘cop killer’ chants, supporters in fight to drop case

Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman who was accused of killing her police officer boyfriend with a vehicle in January 2022, was back in court Friday for a hearing discussing her defense team’s motion to dismiss. 

Attorney Martin Weinberg argued for Read in court on Friday. Attorneys Alan Jackson and David Yannetti previously argued that two of three charges filed against Read, 44, including second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a fatal accident, should be dismissed following a mistrial in June. 

Her lawyers told Judge Beverly J. Cannone that jurors reportedly agreed that Read was not guilty on two of the charges, and that another trial would subject Read to “double jeopardy.”

Prosecutors plan to retry Read in January. Cannone heard arguments from both sides and said she will take them under advisement, without making a decision Friday.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR KAREN READ?

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Karen Read departs Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. Read, who was accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend with a vehicle in January 2022, was back in court Friday for a hearing discussing her defense team’s motion to dismiss. (Patriot Pics/Backgrid for Fox News Digital)

Karen Read departs Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. (Patriot Pics/Backgrid for Fox News Digital)

Read arrived at the Norfolk County Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, on Friday afternoon surrounded by dueling onlookers: those who cheered her and held up signs that read, “Free Karen” and “Framed,” versus those who chanted, “Cop killer” repeatedly as she walked up the courthouse steps.

Jackson and Yannetti argued during the June trial that accusations against Read alleging she killed her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, are part of an elaborate cover-up and frame job. 

Following a weeks-long trial and 26 hours of deliberation, the Norfolk County jury was deadlocked and Cannone declared a mistrial on July 1.

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Prosecutors argued during the trial that after a night of drinking on Jan. 28, 2022, a shouting match between O’Keefe and Read — a financial analyst — turned deadly when Read allegedly backed into O’Keefe with her SUV. Prosecutors further alleged she left her boyfriend to die in front of a Canton home during a nor’easter.

Karen Read departs Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts on Friday, August 9, 2024. Read, who was accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend with a vehicle in January 2022, was back in court Friday for a hearing discussing her defense team’s motion to dismiss. (Patriot Pics/Backgrid for Fox News Digital)

Karen Read smiles as defense attorney David Yannetti 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)

Authorities located his body on the front lawn of an influential family with deep ties to law enforcement and prosecutors. 

KAREN READ MURDER CASE ENDS WITH ‘DEEPLY DIVIDED’ JURY’S DECISION

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The question remains: Who killed John O’Keefe?

Read’s defense claimed the family who owned the home where O’Keefe was found dead in the snow on the morning of Jan. 29, 2022, framed her for his death in an elaborate cover-up. 

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 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 A. Read, girlfriend of the late Boston Police officer John OKeefe, was arraigned in Norfolk Superior Court on charges of second degree murder in his death in Dedham, MA on June 10, 2022. A photo of the couple together was presented by the defense to the prosecution.  (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

The case has sparked debate between Boston-area locals who blame Read for O’Keefe’s death and those who think she’s innocent.

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

“It’s turned into the Karen Read show,” O’Keefe’s brother, Paul O’Keefe, told CBS Boston in July. “She walks through a crowd that cheers her on. She goes in public and takes pictures and signs autographs. 

View of 34 Fairview Road in Canton, Massachusetts on Feb. 2, 2022. Massachusetts State Police homicide detectives arrested Karen A. Read, of Mansfield, on a manslaughter warrant in the death of John OKeefe, a Boston Police officer who was found unresponsive outside a Canton residence. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

“She’s just living life like nothing ever happened,” he said at the time.

The jurors who presided over the June trial were “deeply divided” because of “deeply held convictions,” ultimately deciding that a “consensus is unattainable,” according to the judge’s notes from July.

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

A Norfolk County grand jury in June 2022 indicted Bentley University Professor Karen Read, 42, of Mansfield, for second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter, and leaving the scene of a collision, which prosecutors said caused 46-year-old Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe’s death. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe)

“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 its final note to the judge. 

Fox News Digital’s Chris Eberhart contributed to this report.

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Vermont

How UVM hockey teams fared Jan. 9-10 — Schedule, scores, results

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How UVM hockey teams fared Jan. 9-10 — Schedule, scores, results


UVM welcomes Adrian Dubois as new men’s soccer coach

Adrian Dubois answers questions from the media following his introductory press conference on Monday, Dec. 22.

Conference play is in full swing to both Vermont basketball and hockey teams. Vermont basketball and women’s basketball both have a bye on Saturday, Jan. 10, meaning only the hockey teams are in action.

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How did those Catamounts men’s and women’s hockey teams fare this weekend? For schedule, scores and stats from all games, read on below:

FRIDAY, JAN. 9

Women’s hockey

Vermont 4, Merrimack 1

V: Oona Havana 2G. Kaylee Lewis 1G. Rose-Marie Brochu 1G. Julia Mesplede 2A. Stella Retrum 1A. Lauren O’Hara 1A. Brooke George 1A. Ashley Kokavec 1A. Zoe Cliche 19 saves.

M: Emma Pfeffer 1G. Stina Sandberg 1A. Avery Anderson 1A. Lauren Lyons 39 saves.

Note: The women’s hockey team has won three straight games securing its largest win streak of the season.

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Men’s hockey

Vermont 3, Northeastern 2

V: Sebastian Tornqvist 1G, 2A. Jens Richards 1G. Massimo Lombardi 1G. Colin Kessler 1A. Aiden Wright 1A. Jack Malinski 1A. Cedrick Guindon 1A. Aiden Wright 20 saves.

N: Joe Connor 1G. Amine Hajibi 1G. Jack Henry 1A. Tyler Fukakusa 1A. Dylan Hryckowian 1A. Dylan Finlay 1A. Lawton Zacher 21 saves.

Note: The men’s hockey team has won two straight games for the first time since winning its first two games of the season (Oct. 4-10).

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SATURDAY, JAN. 10

Women’s hockey

Vermont at Merrimack, 2 p.m.

Men’s hockey

Northeastern at Vermont, 7 p.m.

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.

Contact Judith Altneu at JAltneu@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.





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Boston, MA

Boston’s new city council president talks about election and upcoming term

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Boston’s new city council president talks about election and upcoming term


The Boston City Council is setting out on a new two-year term with a new council president at the helm.

City Councilor Liz Breadon, who represents District 9, won the gavel on a 7-6 contested vote, cobbling together her candidacy just hours before the council was set to vote.

“An opportunity presented itself and I took it,” Breadon said. “We’re in a very critical time, given politics, and I really feel that in this moment, we need to set steady leadership, and really to bring the council together.”

The process apparently including backroom conversations and late-night meetings as City Councilors Gabriella Coletta Zapata and Brian Worrell both pushed to become the next council president.

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Breadon spoke on why support waned for her two colleagues.

“I think they had support that was moving,” said Breadon. “It was moving back and forward, it hadn’t solidified solidly in one place. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the moment.”

Political commentator Sue O’Connell talks about the last-minute maneuvering before the upset vote and what it says about Mayor Michelle Wu’s influence.

Some speculated that Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration was lobbying for a compromise candidate after Coletta Zapata dropped out of the race. Breadon disputes the mayor’s involvement.

“I would say not,” said Breadon. “I wasn’t in conversation with the mayor about any of this.”

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Beyond the election, Breadon took a look ahead to how she will lead the body. Controversy has been known to crop up at City Hall, most recently when former District 7 Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges tied to a kickback scheme involving taxpayer dollars.

Breadon said it’s critical to stay calm and allow the facts to come out in those situations.

“I feel that it’s very important to be very deliberative in how we handle these things and not to sort of shoot from the hip and have a knee-jerk reaction to what’s happening,” said Breadon.

Tune in Sunday at 9:30 am for our extended @Issue Sitdown with Breadon, when we dig deeper into how her candidacy came together, the priorities she’ll pursue in the role and which colleagues she’ll place in key council positions.

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Pittsburg, PA

O’Connor vows Pittsburgh won’t cooperate with ICE

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O’Connor vows Pittsburgh won’t cooperate with ICE


Days after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officer fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis, Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor reaffirmed that he will not cooperate with ICE.

Former Mayor Ed Gainey had taken the same position.

“My stance never changed,” O’Connor told TribLive on Friday. “We’re not going to cooperate.”

O’Connor said the same thing on the campaign trail, promising his administration would not partner with ICE.

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“My priority is to turn the city around and help it grow,” O’Connor said. “For us, it’s got to be focusing on public safety in the city of Pittsburgh.”

President Donald Trump has sent a surge of federal officers into Minneapolis, where tensions have escalated sharply.

O’Connor said he had spoken this week with Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, who heads the Democratic Mayors Association. The group has condemned ICE’s actions in the wake of Wednesday’s fatal encounter in Minneapolis, where an ICE officer shot and killed 37-year-old Nicole Macklin Good, a U.S. citizen described as a poet and mother.

“Mayors are on the ground every day working to keep our communities safe,” the association said in a statement Thursday. “If Trump were serious about public safety, he would work with our cities, not against them. If he were serious, he would stop spreading propaganda and lies, and end the fear, the force, and the federal overreach.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has come out strongly against the Trump administration and ICE, penning an op-ed piece for the New York Times with the headline, “I’m the Mayor of Minneapolis. Trump Is Lying to You.”

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said an ICE officer shot Good in self-defense. Noem described the incident as “domestic terrorism” carried out against ICE officers and claimed Good tried to “run them over and rammed them with her vehicle.”

The circumstances of the incident are in dispute.

In December, ICE agents were involved in a scuffle in Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington neighborhood as they arrested a Latino man.

According to neighbors, two unmarked vehicles sandwiched a white Tacoma in the 400 block of Norton Street, broke the driver’s side window, pulled a man from the vehicle and got into a physical altercation. Pepper spray was deployed and seemed to get in the eyes of both the man being detained and at least one immigration agent.

At least some of the officers on the scene in that incident belong to ICE.

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They targeted the man, Darwin Alexander Davila-Perez, a Nicaraguan national, for claiming to be a U.S. citizen while trying to buy a gun, according to court papers.



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