Karen Read murder trial: 4th juror reports jury was only hung on manslaughter charge, defense says

Another juror has come forward to report that the Karen Read jury was ready to acquit on two of the three charges against her, including second-degree murder, according to a new defense filing.

“Juror D said that it was very troubling that the entire case ended without the jury being asked about each count, especially Count 1 and Count 3,” the latest filing from defense attorney Alan Jackson states, adding that the juror told him that the jury was only split on Count 2. “Juror D said that the jury actually discussed telling the judge that they had agreed unanimously on NOT GUILTY verdicts for Counts 1 and 3, but they were not sure if they were allowed to say so.”

This latest “Juror D” — which Jackson wrote he has identified but is not identifying in the filing — is the sequel to a Monday filing in which defense attorneys say three other jurors told them the same information. This was filed as a supplemental affidavit in support of a motion to dismiss.

The Norfolk District Attorney’s office, which prosecuted the case, told the Herald through a spokesman that “We do not have comment at this time.”

Read, 44, of Mansfield, is accused of killing her boyfriend of two years, 16-year Boston Police officer John O’Keefe, by backing her Lexus SUV into him at a high speed and leaving him to die in the cold during a major snowstorm.

She is charged with second-degree murder (Count 1), manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence (Count 2), and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death (Count 3).

Jackson adds that Juror D indicated he or she wanted to reach out because “he/she was ‘uncomfortable’ with how the trial ended,” describing the last day of the trial as a “whirlwind.”

“He/she recounted that his/her perspective was that the jury was brought into the courtroom, the note was read, the mistrial was declared, and the jury was then rushed out of the courtroom,” Jackson wrote. “Following a brief meeting with the judge, the next thing they all knew, the jury was on the bus. He/she described the end of the trial as very confusing.”

The juror said he or she would be willing to testify that “the jury unanimously reached NOT GUILTY verdicts on Count 1 and Count 3, as long as his/her identity remained protected.”

This is a developing story.

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