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What's next for Karen Read?

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What's next for Karen Read?

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Karen Read turned and hugged her father and embraced her family after Judge Beverly Cannone declared a mistrial.

The 44-year-old financial analyst accused of killing her Boston cop boyfriend, John O’Keefe, walked out of the Dedham, Massachusetts, courthouse a free woman after two years. 

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The jubilation on Read’s side of the courtroom was a stark contrast to O’Keefe’s mom’s tears, as family and friends rubbed her shoulders and tried to console her.

But the saga isn’t over. “The Commonwealth intends to re-try the case,” prosecutors said before a smiling Read and her lawyers were done speaking to her supporters and news outlets.

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

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 Massachusetts jury deliberated for nearly 26 hours and had been deadlocked for days. 

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They were “deeply divided” because of “deeply held convictions” and a “consensus is unattainable,” according to the first of two notes to the presiding judge on Monday. 

Cannone issued a controversial 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.

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)

The dynamite charge’s “effectiveness in breaking deadlocks and securing verdicts is well-documented,” according to a blog post by Texas-based law firm Varghese and Summersett. 

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But it’s not used in about two dozen states, as opponents argue “it can lead to verdicts that are not truly unanimous, as jurors may change their votes due to peer pressure rather than genuine conviction,” the firm said.

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 its final note to the judge. 

Karen Read smiles as defense attorney David Yannetti speaks to reporters 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 talks with her legal team at the Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., Monday, July 1, 2024. This is their fifth day of deliberations in the murder trial for Read. Read is 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)

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. The defense has asked for some modifications. Read is charged with second-degree murder in the January 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.  (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)

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The jury sat for weeks during a trial that included 74 witnesses and nearly 700 pieces of evidence. 

Prosecutors argued a shouting match turned deadly during a booze-infused fight in January 2022, when Read allegedly backed into O’Keefe with her SUV and left him to die during a nor’easter. 

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

His body was found on the front lawn of an influential family with deep ties to law enforcement and prosecutors. Read claimed that the family framed her for O’Keefe’s death in an elaborate cover-up. 

The deadlocked jury was as torn as the otherwise quiet Boston suburb of Canton. And the opposing jurors weren’t backing down. 

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“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 said before Cannone declared a mistrial.

Since Read wasn’t found guilty or not guilty, here’s what could happen next, according to experts.

Flags, flowers and remembrances flank the headstone of John O’Keefe, a Boston police officer, at Blue Hill Cemetery, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Braintree, Mass. A judge declared a mistrial Monday, July 1, 2024, after jurors deadlocked in the case of O’Keefe’s girlfriend, Karen Read, who was accused of killing him by striking him with her SUV and leaving him in a snowstorm. Prosecutors said in a statement that they intend to retry the case.  (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

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)

Option 1: The case is over, no more charges 

Read beat the charges of second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter while driving under the influence and leaving the scene of a collision causing injury and death because the jury couldn’t come to a unanimous decision, not because they thought they believed she was innocent. 

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That puts the ball in the prosecutors’ hands. 

They can choose to end the two-year saga now. 

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)

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)

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)

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Option 2: New trial, new jury with same charges

The Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office quickly fired off a statement that said it intends to retry the case. 

And Read’s lawyer, Alan Jackson, said, “We will not stop fighting.”

That puts the two sides on another collision course, although experts pointed out pitfalls that could doom the DA’s office again. 

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

Daniel Medwed, Northeastern University professor of law and criminal justice, believes the prosecution needs to bring more evidence, if this is the route they choose. 

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“I think they might talk a big game in the immediate aftermath about retrying her,” Medwed told Northeastern Global News. 

“But ultimately, unless new evidence emerges, I think it might be a tough hill to climb, and they might not pursue it.”

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

Supporters of Karen Read gather outside the courthouse in Dedham, MA on Friday, June 28, 2024. Read faced three charges in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe in January 2022. (Patriot Pics/Backgrid for Fox News Digital)

There’s also added layers of complication, with investigations into Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, whose sexist and vulgar texts may have destroyed the prosecution’s case, as well as an ongoing audit of potential misconduct in the Canton Police Department. 

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“You know that trooper’s testimony really blew up in the commonwealth’s face,” Suffolk Law professor Rosanna Cavallaro told NBC 10 Boston. 

“If in fact he is suspended or any kind of consequence for his misconduct, then that’s going to make it really hard for the commonwealth to decide how to present their case.”

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)

Option 3: New trial, new jury, new charges 

A possible way around some of the potential pitfalls of retrying Read for murder is to file different charges, law expert Shira Diner told Fox News Digital. 

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Diner is a lecturer and clinical instructor at Boston University School of Law and the president of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. 

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

Karen Read speaks with her lawyer as the jury deliberates in her murder trail, Wednesday June 26, 2024, at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)

“(The prosecution) is entirely in control of the charges, so I think they could recharge in a different way,” she said.

What those charges could be remains to be seen, if this is the route the prosecution takes. 

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WATCH: DINER EXPLAINS HOW PROCTOR’S TESTIMONY COULD BLOW UP ANOTHER MURDER CASE

For now, the case is over. Read is free. 

The two sides – along with their warring supporters – will retreat into their respective corners of the ring. The families will have to regroup. 

The next court appearance is scheduled for July 22 for a conference.

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Boston, MA

How I met a lifelong friend when I moved to Boston for a new job – The Boston Globe

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How I met a lifelong friend when I moved to Boston for a new job – The Boston Globe


Opportunity drew me to Boston in 1977. I took a job at an architectural firm in the North End and moved to an apartment in Inman Square in Cambridge. It was such a great place to live — Legal Sea Foods, Ryles, the Inn-Square Men’s Bar, and the S&S Deli were all within a block of my front door. But there was one big problem: I didn’t know a soul in the area and really wanted to make friends outside of work.

Could spending some time at local watering holes be the answer? I decided to take my chances.

One evening I was perched on a barstool at the newly opened Springfield Street Saloon across the street. It was pretty much empty except for another guy sitting several stools away staring at the TV. Both of us were groaning in pain at some pathetic play by the Red Sox and started to chat from a distance. I slid over and introduced myself — or it could have been the other way around, I don’t remember. But most importantly, I met Jeff.

The next night we were both there again. And the next. We became good friends over the course of the summer and best friends not long after that. Jeff was the avid sportsman that I could never become. He took me tuna fishing off Gloucester, and to a sportsman’s club for lessons in marksmanship.

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He was a classic extrovert and optimist who was working as a fledgling music promoter. I was a classic introvert hopelessly tied to a desk, quietly sketching designs. But somehow our sense of humor, outlook on life, and respect for each other cemented our friendship. I never expected to meet someone in such a random way and become such close friends. I joined him at Sox games, Pats games — we even went to the Police and J. Geils concerts at the Garden with backstage passes.

The Blizzard of 1978 didn’t put a damper on the fun at Jeff’s apartment. The weeklong Blizzard Party at his place could not be rivaled. He called me one night at 4 a.m., asking if I had any aspirin because Sting, lead singer of the Police, was at his apartment with a headache!

Jeff even found me a new apartment in his building near Harvard Square. He never wanted anything in return, just my company. And I was always there for him.

Over the years, our lives changed quite a bit. We both moved to different towns with our fiancées. Jeff came to my wedding, and after my daughters were born, he became a favorite of theirs as they grew up. He joked with my wife that she could have done much better than me.

From that chance barstool meeting, I talked with my best friend almost every day for over 40 years. Whenever our wives heard us howling on the phone, they knew immediately who was on the line.

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A few years ago, Jeff fell ill, and was in the hospital. I sensed this was quite serious and went to visit him against his wishes. He didn’t want me to see him in his declining condition. “Do you remember when . . . ?” was the topic that day. I had to tone down my usual rants, because it hurt him so much when he laughed.

Later, I said goodbye and left the room. As I turned down the corridor, I heard Jeff call out, “I love you, man.” I was going to turn around and go back into the room but didn’t want him to see me crying. That seemed pretty dumb then, and still does. A few weeks later, I got a call from his wife, Joanne, telling me he had passed away.

Five years later, Jeff is still on my speed dial, and I cannot tell you the number of times I have almost called him for his take on the day’s events. Because you just never know.


Mark Bernstein is a writer in Newton Centre. Send comments to magazine@globe.com.

TELL YOUR STORY. Email your 650-word unpublished essay on a relationship to connections@globe.com. Please note: We do not respond to submissions we won’t pursue, and we do not accept essays written with the help of artificial intelligence.

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Pittsburg, PA

Another candidate with Pittsburgh ties emerges as Steelers OC candidate

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Another candidate with Pittsburgh ties emerges as Steelers OC candidate


The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to interview Minnesota Vikings passing game coordinator and tight ends coach Brian Angelichio for their open offensive coordinator position.

Angelichio has worked alongside Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota over the last four seasons, holding the same title for all of those years. He has earned other interview opportunities for open offensive coordinator gigs, such as the Miami Dolphins.

Angelichio worked with the Packers and under Mike McCarthy in 2016 to 2018. He started his coaching career in 1995 by coaching the secondary at SUNY-Brockport, and he worked his way up to the college ladder.

One of those stops was in Pittsburgh, becoming an offensive assistant and tight ends coach at Pitt from 2006 to 2010.

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In 2012, Angelichio made the jump to the NFL, taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ tight ends coaching job. Since that time, Angelichio worked for the Browns, Commanders, and Panthers.

Angelichio has worked under O’Connell multiple times, hence why he joined him, and that background would bring a different flavor than McCarthy’s background.

Pittsburgh has most of their coaching staff filled, but tight ends coach, offensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, and defensive line coach remain the open spots that McCarthy still has to fill on his staff.



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Connecticut

Frigid cold temperatures to start the day

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Frigid cold temperatures to start the day


We have a very cold start to Friday with feel-like temperatures around -10 degrees with little relief in sight.

There is a cold weather advisory in effect until 11 a.m.

Temperatures will remain low throughout the day , with highs ranging from 10-20 degrees.

Overnight will remain calm and clear with brutally low 0-15 degree temperatures.

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The weekend starts out a bit warmer, with highs near 20 degrees.

The coastal storm that was nearby continues to push out to the ocean and misses us.



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