Northeast
Confusion erupts in Karen Read murder trial as jurors backtrack on verdict announcement
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There was confusion surrounding a potential verdict in the Karen Read murder trial Wednesday, according to Judge Beverly Cannone, who called the sides back around 2 p.m. only to tell them jurors had backtracked.
“I received word from a court officer that the jury had knocked on the door, indicating that they had a verdict,” Cannone said in court. “But before I could even summon everybody into court…shortly thereafter, they knocked again and said they didn’t have a verdict.”
She sealed the unseen verdict slip and entered it into evidence without anyone other than the jurors having seen it.
KAREN READ JURY QUESTIONS SUGGEST SAME LEGAL DILEMMA AS LAST YEAR’S MISTRIAL
WATCH: Judge Cannone explains confusion in court over potential Karen Read verdict
“So we do not have a verdict, because as we all know, there is no verdict until it is announced and recorded in open court,” she said. “So we are still awaiting a verdict.”
She asked everyone to remain in the courthouse for the rest of the day.
Karen Read signs to supporters as she leaves Norfolk Superior Court, Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. Read is charged with killing her Boston police officer boyfriend by intentionally driving her SUV into him. (Richard Beetham for Fox News Digital)
Read, 45, is accused of killing boyfriend John O’Keefe, 46, in a drunken hit-and-run Jan. 29, 2022, outside a party in Canton, Massachusetts.
Were Karen Read’s unorthodox media interviews a next-level strategic move from her defense?
Maybe, according to one Massachusetts legal expert following the case.
After her first trial, which ended with a deadlocked jury last year, she sat down with multiple reporters to tell her side of the story, a move many legal experts have called ill-advised. But it may have a payoff because jurors appear focused on a lesser charge that she may have admitted to on video.
Karen Read signs to supporters while exiting Norfolk Superior Court for lunch Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Richard Beetham for Fox News Digital)
“She was ‘testifying’ when she made those statements, knowing they could be used in court,” said Grace Edwards, a criminal defense trial attorney. “Crazy as it seems, this may have been a strategy to give the jury something to hang their hat on and find her guilty of the OUI and get this done.”
She was referring to the charge of operating under the influence, a topic jurors asked multiple questions about Tuesday during the third day of deliberations after more than 30 days of trial testimony.
KAREN READ’S VERDICT COULD COME FAST – OR NOT: HERE’S WHAT OTHER CASES SHOW
WATCH: Prosecution in Karen Read trial uses Read’s own words to dismantle defense’s theory
“That’s an interesting theory – fall on the sword for the OUI to spare her the more serious offenses,” said Randolph Rice, the Maryland legal analyst and attorney who represents the family of slain mother of five Rachel Morin. “That would be a risky play for the defense.”
Read the amended verdict slip for Count 2:
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Still, he said, the common thinking is that defendants should avoid speaking to the media.
“I’m sure the Karen Read camp is feeling good right now,” he added. “Cautious optimism.”
Read the original verdict slip:
The top charge against Read, second-degree murder, could land her a life prison sentence if she’s convicted. Lesser charges include drunken driving, manslaughter and leaving a deadly accident.
WATCH: Karen Read recounts night of drinking at local bar in 2024 television interview
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The manslaughter charge also includes additional lesser charges that jurors could find her guilty of, including operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor, which carries a much lighter sentence and doesn’t include the homicide charge.
Read did not take the stand in her own defense but spoke to reporters outside court almost every day. After her mistrial last year, she sat for numerous news and documentary interviews and even invited a magazine writer to stay at her house for a weekend.
Murder defendant Karen Read speaks with reporters after leaving the courthouse in Dedham, Mass., June 6, 2025. (Richard Beetham for Fox News Digital)
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Special prosecutor Hank Brennan subpoenaed the unedited source material from reporters and played a handful of clips in court in front of the jury.
In one, which appeared to be related to what jurors had questions about, Read discussed spiking her own drinks in the hours before O’Keefe’s death because she didn’t think the bartender was making them strong enough.
“The drinks that they were pouring me at McCarthy’s, which was where I consumed most of the alcohol, was the weakest vodka tonic,” she said. “It tasted just like all soda water with lime, not that I need it to be a martini, but it might have a splash of vodka in it.”
Officer John O’Keefe (Boston Police Department)
Jurors asked the judge four questions Tuesday, many of them focused on the OUI charge.
- “What is the timeframe for the OUI charge? 12:45 or 5 a.m.?”
- “Are video clips of Karen’s interviews evidence?”
- “Does convicting guilty on a subcharge, for example offense 2 No. 5, convict the overall charge?”
- “If we find not guilty on two charges but can’t agree on one charge, is it a hung jury on all three charges or just one charge?”
Jurors failed to reach a verdict by the end of the day Tuesday. Deliberations resume Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. ET.
“I still think it’s good for her right now,” Rice told Fox News Digital. “Reading between the lines, I think they can’t find the intent needed for two counts and are trying to figure out the reckless component.”
Read faces up to life in prison if convicted on the most serious charge of second-degree murder. Some of the OUI-related charges also carry multi-year penalties, Edwards said.
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Northeast
Conservative Gettysburg College group catches student on video tearing down promotional flyers
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A video captured by a member of a conservative campus group at a private Pennsylvania college shows a student tearing down its promotional flyers, according to the group.
The Young America’s Foundation (YAF) chapter at Gettysburg College hosted conservative author and speaker Vince Ellison on Nov. 20. Days before the event, the group posted advertisements for the event around campus.
But according to Gettysburg College YAF Chairman Tyler Seeman, students who oppose right-leaning ideals tore down the chapter’s flyers — something Seeman says happens every semester when the campus group hosts an event — and one of them was caught on camera.
“Every semester, Gettysburg YAF has a campus lecture. So, we invite one of the speakers from YAF’s speaker list to come to campus and discuss whatever their specialty is,” Seeman told Fox News Digital.
A student tears a Young America’s Foundation promotional flyer off a wall at Gettysburg College in mid-November 2025. (Courtesy: Nicholas Alverson)
YOUNG AMERICA’S FOUNDATION TABLE GETS TRASHED AT OSU BY PERSON WHO TELLS CONSERVATIVES TO ‘F— OFF’
In the video, a YAF member climbs a flight of stairs after seeing a student pulling the group’s flyers off the wall, and races to confront the alleged perpetrator.
“You having fun?” the YAF member asks.
“Yeah,” the student quickly replies.
“You know that’s against college policy, right?” the YAF member asks.
“OK,” the student says, before falling silent.
The YAF member then chastised the student for not making it out of the building before being caught red-handed.
“We’ve got more of those [flyers] in the stairwell, you wanna go get those too?” the YAF member asks.
“I don’t know,” the student replies.
The YAF member then escorts the alleged perpetrator out of the building.
Promotional flyers for an Young America’s Foundation event with conservative author Vince Ellison were torn to shreds at Gettysburg College in mid-November 2025. (Courtesy: Connor Felo)
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He said that every semester, the group posts flyers to advertise its event, like all campus groups do.
“Every semester, students on campus tear our flyers down because we’re the only conservative 501(c)(3) on campus that actually hosts campus lectures,” Seeman said. “So, some students feel, I would presume, that our views and our speakers’ statements are contrary or dangerous to their own perspectives and their own worldview.”
Seeman characterized the school as “apathetic” toward the chapter’s plight. He said that on one occasion, the school sent out an email to some students condemning the behavior of YAF’s opponents, but on another occasion, school administrators declined a request to admonish bad actors.
OKLAHOMA STATE CONSERVATIVE STUDENTS PRESS CHARGES, DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY AFTER HARASSMENT AT TABLE
“Removing flyers posted in accordance with our posting policy is a violation of our community standards,” Gettysburg College spokesperson Jamie White told Fox News Digital. “Students in violation of this policy are subject to sanctions by the College.”
A student at Gettysburg College was confronted by a YAF member after tearing the group’s promotional flyers off the wall in mid-November, the chapter said. (Courtesy: NIcholas Alverson)
“While federal law prohibits us from answering questions about specific student cases, I can say it would be highly unusual for such behavior not to be sanctioned,” White said.
Seeman shared a message to those on campus who oppose YAF’s views.
“Instead of tearing down flyers, show up to our events and ask questions, because we want to have that dialogue,” he said.
“At the end of the day, that’s just going to get everyone in the room thinking about these issues, and we’d rather have as many people thinking about these issues and talking about these issues as possible, rather than just tearing down flyers and trying to silence other people’s speech, because that’s not constructive.”
YAF is no stranger to left-wing targeting on campus.
Their chapter at the University of Iowa was subject to a table-flipping incident last month.
Gettysburg College campus on May 5, 2013. (John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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A criminal complaint against a student named Justin Calhoon says he flipped a YAF table on campus on Oct. 27. He was arrested on Oct. 31 and charged with disorderly conduct, fifth-degree criminal mischief and third-degree harassment, according to arrest records.
Calhoon was later accused of flipping a Turning Point USA table on campus, and was arrested again.
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Boston, MA
Boston city councilor pushes for state audit of federal grant funds after misuse by city program
Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn requested that the state auditor’s office conduct a formal audit of the nearly $560 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds the city received from the federal government, in light of misspending by a city program.
Flynn sent a letter to State Auditor Diana DiZoglio on Friday requesting an audit of the federal grant funds the city received through the ARPA legislation of 2021 that was issued as a COVID-19 pandemic-relief measure.
The councilor said Boston received nearly $560 million in federal funds for pandemic recovery. The money was committed by the end of 2024, and must be spent by the end of next year, he said.
“In May of this year, it was reported that the City of Boston’s Three Squares Main Streets program allegedly misspent ARPA funds in the amount of $32,000,” Flynn wrote in the letter. “Irresponsible funding and spending leads to inflated costs and missed opportunities to improve our communities.
“It is critical that the City of Boston spends taxpayer dollars responsibly to regain our credibility and show respect to the residents,” he added.
Flynn wrote that he chose to pursue a state audit due to the City Council’s failure to hold oversight hearings, and ensure that “Boston is in compliance with spending regulations.”
Auditor DiZoglio’s office said Friday that it had received Flynn’s letter and that the councilor’s request requires a majority vote from the City Council and approval from the mayor to permit the auditor’s office to conduct a municipal audit.
“Our General Counsel will be sending Councilor Flynn the legal process required, under the law, to engage the Office of State Auditor with respect to a municipal audit,” DiZoglio spokesperson Andrew Carden said in a statement.
“Unlike the Office of Inspector General, which has the full legal authority to audit and investigate municipal government entities without a request or permission from a city or town, the Office of State Auditor, while mandated to audit state government entities, is actually legally required to obtain permission from a municipality, via both a majority vote from the City Council and approval by the Mayor, to be permitted to conduct a municipal audit,” Carden added.
Flynn told the Herald he wouldn’t hold his breath for approval from his colleagues on the City Council, which is largely allied with Mayor Michelle Wu.
“Since the City Council failed to hold the necessary oversight hearings to determine how we spend federal funds, an outside audit is essential to ensure appropriate spending, demonstrate transparency and accountability,” Flynn said. “The Boston City Council will not support an independent audit of our financial records to ensure we are complying with federal spending laws.”
Mayor Wu’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment on whether the Wu administration would support Flynn’s request for a state audit.
Wu’s office launched an internal audit last May after the city main streets’ program’s alleged misuse of federal ARPA funds was flagged by the Boston Finance Commission, a City Hall watchdog.
“We’re grateful for city staff who have been working to ensure oversight of every dollar of federal funds spent on pandemic recovery, including grants to nonprofit organizations,” Wu spokesperson Emma Pettit said in a statement at the time. “Through their diligence, these financial irregularities were identified and reported to the appropriate agencies to take action.
“The city will continue to support any further investigation, and is undertaking a further audit to ensure full accountability.”
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