Karen Read‘s second trial in connection with the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, continues on Friday in Dedham’s Norfolk Superior Court before Judge Beverly Cannone.
Jurors will hear closing arguments from Read’s defense, then the prosecution, before a short lunch break Friday. Cannone will then instruct the jury about the charges and the law, before sending them out for their deliberations.
Jurors can deliberate for as short or as long as it takes to reach a unanimous verdict. During Read’s first trial, jurors deliberated for about four and a half days before Cannone ultimately declared a mistrial.
The last time the jury was in the courtroom, they heard testimony from a biomechanical engineer who said testing showed O’Keefe’s injuries were inconsistent with a car crash. Read’s defense rested its case following the engineer’s testimony.
Read, 45, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of O’Keefe, who was found outside the home of a fellow Boston police officer on Jan. 29, 2022.
Norfolk County prosecutors say Read struck O’Keefe with her SUV while driving intoxicated. Read’s attorneys say her car never struck O’Keefe and that others are to blame for his death.
