--- description: The jury has begun deliberating in the case of a Massachusetts woman on trial for allegedly fatally running over her boyfriend with her SUV. title: Karen Read Trial Enters Jury Deliberations: What to Know image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt301c4daa0a62b9ee/698a57ccd075330675e70e41/Karen-Read-.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Massachusetts](/tag/massachusetts/) ## Massachusetts Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Karen Read Retrial Enters Jury Deliberations: What to Know by [Solcyré Burga](/author/solcyre-burga/) and [Chantelle Lee](/author/chantelle-lee/) Updated: Jan 19, 2026 3:21 PM CUTPublished: Jun 13, 2024 10:06 PM CUT  Karen Read listens during her trial at Norfolk County Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., on June 13, 2024. Karen Read listens during her trial at Norfolk County Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., on June 13, 2024.David McGlynn—The Patriot Ledger/AP by [Solcyré Burga](/author/solcyre-burga/) and [Chantelle Lee](/author/chantelle-lee/) Updated: Jan 19, 2026 3:21 PM CUTPublished: Jun 13, 2024 10:06 PM CUT The jury in the [second trial of Karen Read](https://time.com/6992598/karen-read-mistrial-murder/ "undefined")—the Massachusetts woman who allegedly killed her boyfriend in Jan. 2022, when authorities say she ran over him with her SUV, leaving him to die—began deliberations on Friday after hearing closing arguments in the case. Read, 45, has been charged with the murder of 46-year-old John O’Keefe, a Boston police officer, in a case that has sparked widespread media attention, spawned conspiracy theories, and even prompted protests in support of Read. Last year, a judge overseeing the case declared a mistrial after the jury could not come to a unanimous verdict on all of her charges. Read’s attorneys pleaded to the Supreme Court under double jeopardy claims. The Supreme Court denied the appeal, which would prevent a person from being tried twice for the same offense after being acquitted or convicted. The second trial began in April. During the previous trial, prosecutors presented evidence that they say pins Read to the crime, and cross-examined key witnesses like Jennifer McCabe, a friend of O’Keefe, who told the court that Read allegedly asked her to search how long it would take for someone to die in the cold. Defense attorneys for Read, however, argue that O’Keefe died because of a fight that happened inside a friend’s home in Canton, Mass. where O’Keefe’s body was found. They’ve also alleged that police are trying to frame Read. Read has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The jurors were dismissed for the weekend, and will continue deliberations on Monday morning. Here’s what to know about the case. ## **Who is Karen Read?** Read is facing charges for second-degree murder, manslaughter while under the influence, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death—to which she has pleaded not guilty. She was still in a relationship with O’Keefe at the time of his death, though court documents have shown that the relationship was strained. ## **The day of O’Keefe’s death** Read and O’Keefe were out drinking at the Waterfall Bar and Grill in Canton, Mass., 20 miles outside of Boston, on Jan. 28, 2022, according to court documents. Prosecutors say that Read then dropped O’Keefe off at the then-home of retired police officer Brian Albert in Canton. (Albert [sold the home](https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/karen-read-trial-defense-question-brian-albert-owner-home-where-john-okeefe-was-found-dead/SI2UW5WKNNB2XOPORWYOWTPVQE/ "undefined") in 2023.) Albert testified on May 10 that neither O’Keefe or Read [entered his house](https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/karen-read-trial-defense-question-brian-albert-owner-home-where-john-okeefe-was-found-dead/SI2UW5WKNNB2XOPORWYOWTPVQE/ "undefined") that night. In the early morning hours, Read allegedly left O’Keefe a voicemail saying that she hated him, according to court documents. At 4:23 a.m. Jennifer McCabe received a phone call informing her that Read was worried because O’Keefe was not responding to any calls and did not come home. About a half-hour later, prosecutors say Read called another woman whose spouse was friends with O’Keefe saying, “What if he's dead? What if a plow hit him?” Read and two other women then went looking for O’Keefe. At about 6 a.m., Read called the Canton Police Department to report that she found O’Keefe lying in the snow outside of Albert’s home, according to court documents. The medical examiner found that O’Keefe died from blunt impact head injuries and hypothermia. ## **Defense claims** Read’s attorneys have argued that O’Keefe got into an argument with people inside Albert’s home and that his beaten body was later dumped outside. They have pointed to wounds on O’Keefe’s arms which they said were from a dog attack to try to substantiate their claims. They claim investigating officers are trying to frame Read for O’Keefe’s death. Police also found red tail light pieces, a shoe, and clear plastic pieces at the scene, according to court documents. The defense alleges that the broken tail light on Read’s car occurred when she left her driveway and hit O’Keefe’s vehicle. A first responder testified in court in early May that Read was distraught and shouted “I hit him” when asked by paramedic Katie McLaughlin if there was any trauma that O’Keefe had endured, [according to the Boston _Globe_](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/05/02/metro/karen-read-trial-paramedics-say-she-said-i-hit-him-at-the-scene/ "undefined"). The defense also attempted to shroud the case in doubt after presenting text messages sent by lead investigator on the case, Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, that displayed the officer’s distaste for Read. ## **What did Michael Proctor say at the trial?** Proctor testified about inappropriate messages he sent regarding Read after O’Keefe’s death. During the seventh week of the trial, it was revealed that Proctor had sent a text to his sister saying that he hopes Read kills herself. Proctor claimed that the message was a “figure of speech” while being cross examined by defense attorney Alan Jackson during the trial. Proctor also called Read a “whackjob” to others and texted his bosses that he had not found any nudes so far when looking through Read’s cellphone, according to court documents. Massachusetts State Police Lt. Brian Tully said he was aware of the messages and had expressed his discontent with their unprofessional nature. Tully also reported the messages up the chain of command. "We followed the facts and evidence which showed Ms. Read hit Mr. O'Keefe with her vehicle. Yes, at times I got emotional because of that and I said some stuff, texted some things I shouldn't have. But it was based off \[of\] the evidence," Proctor said in court. "These juvenile, unprofessional comments have zero impact on the facts and the evidence and the integrity of this investigation.” In March, Proctor was [fired](https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2025-03-19/state-trooper-michael-proctor-fired-under-scrutiny-in-karen-read-case "undefined") from the Massachusetts State Police after months of being suspended without pay. The department said he was fired for unsatisfactory performance and a charge tied to alcoholic beverages. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6988533/karen-read-trial-what-to-know/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6988533/karen-read-trial-what-to-know/"},"headline":"Karen Read Retrial Enters Jury Deliberations: What to Know","datePublished":"2024-06-13T22:06:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-01-19T15:21:44.000Z","description":"The jury has begun deliberating in the case of a Massachusetts woman on trial for allegedly fatally running over her boyfriend with her SUV.","url":"https://time.com/6988533/karen-read-trial-what-to-know/","keywords":["Massachusetts","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt301c4daa0a62b9ee/698a57ccd075330675e70e41/Karen-Read-.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Solcyré Burga","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/solcyre-burga/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Chantelle Lee","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt301c4daa0a62b9ee/698a57ccd075330675e70e41/Karen-Read-.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Officer Killed Girlfriend Trial","caption":"Officer Killed Girlfriend Trial","creditText":"David McGlynn—The Patriot Ledger/AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/massachusetts/","name":"Massachusetts"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6988533/karen-read-trial-what-to-know/","name":"Karen Read Retrial Enters Jury Deliberations: What to Know"}}]}] ```