Karen Reid She turned around and embraced her father and family after Judge Beverly Cannon declared a mistrial.
The 44-year-old financial analyst accused of killing her Boston cop boyfriend, John O’Keefe, is out of jail. Dedham, MassachusettsThe court released her a free woman two years later.
An atmosphere of happiness from Reed’s side court room The scene was a contrast to the tears of O’Keefe’s mother as family and friends tried to comfort her with their hands on her shoulders.
But the story is far from over. Before a smiling Reed and his lawyers spoke to supporters and news outlets, prosecutors said, “The Commonwealth intends to try this case again.”
Karen Reade murder trial ends with ‘deeply divided’ jury verdict
Karen Reed receives a long hug from her father, William, before the jury breaks for lunch on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, at the Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
The Massachusetts jury deliberated for about 26 hours and was deadlocked for several days.
They are “deeply divided” because of “deeply held beliefs” and “consensus is impossible to achieve,” according to the first of two notes sent to the presiding judge on Monday.
Cannon issued a controversial dynamite charge (or Allen charge), a last resort measure to force jurors to continue deliberating and reach a unanimous verdict.
Karen Reed smiles during a news conference before Norfolk Superior Court on Monday, July 1, 2024, in Dedham, Massachusetts. A judge on Monday declared a mistrial after a jury deadlocked in the case of Reed, who was accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend by hitting him with her SUV and leaving him in a snowstorm. (AP Photo/Steven Sain)
According to one report, the dynamite attack’s “effectiveness in breaking the deadlock and ensuring a decision is well documented.” blog post By the Texas-based law firm Varghese & Somerset.
But it is not used in about two dozen states because opponents argue it “could lead to verdicts that would not be truly unanimous, as jurors might change their vote due to peer pressure rather than genuine conviction,” the firm said.
The result was the same. In its final note to the judge, the jury said, “Despite our commitment to the duty entrusted to us, we find ourselves deeply divided due to fundamental differences in our views and state of mind.”
Karen Reed smiles as defense attorney David Yannetti speaks to reporters in front of Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, on Monday, July 1, 2024. The judge declared a mistrial Monday after the jury deadlocked in the case of Reed, who was accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend by hitting him with her SUV and leaving him in a snowstorm. (AP Photo/Steven Sain)
Karen Reed speaks to her legal team in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, on Monday, July 1, 2024. This is the fifth day of deliberations in Reed’s murder trial. Reed is accused of rear-ending her SUV with her Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe and leaving him to die in a snowstorm in Canton in 2022. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Judge Beverly Cannon looks over a slip of verdict for jurors to fill out in the murder trial of Karen Reed, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts. The defense has asked for some amendments. Reed is charged with second-degree murder in the January 2022 killing of her boyfriend, Boston police Officer John O’Keefe. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
The jury conducted a several-week-long trial involving 74 witnesses and nearly 700 pieces of evidence.
Prosecutors argued that a yell during a drunken fight turned deadly in January 2022, when Reed allegedly hit O’Keefe with his SUV and left her to die during a northeaster.
WATCH: Dashcam from the night John O’Keefe was found dead
His body was found on the front lawn of the home of an influential family with whom he had a deep connection. Law enforcement and prosecutors. Reed claimed the family implicated him in an elaborate cover-up for O’Keefe’s death.
The deadlocked jury was as divided as the quiet Boston suburb of Canton. And the opposing jurors were unwilling to back down.
“Notwithstanding our commitment to the duty entrusted to us, we find ourselves deeply divided by fundamental differences in our views and state of mind,” the jury said before Cannon returned a mistrial verdict.
Since Reed was found not guilty, here’s what experts think might happen next.
Flags, flowers and mementos are placed at the grave of Boston police officer John O’Keefe at Blue Hill Cemetery in Braintree, Massachusetts, on Thursday, June 27, 2024. A judge declared a mistrial on Monday, July 1, 2024, after a jury deadlocked in the case of O’Keefe’s girlfriend, Karen Reed, who was accused of hitting him with her SUV and fleeing in a snowstorm. Prosecutors said in a statement they intend to try the case again. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
Prior to jury entry, Judge Beverly J. Cannon (right) speaks to the defense and prosecution during the Karen Reed trial at Norfolk Superior Court on Monday, July 1, 2024, in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Option 1: Case closed, no more charges
READ Defeat the charges second-degree murderCommitting homicide in a motor vehicle while driving under the influence and causing injury and death by hitting a vehicle, not because the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict, but because they felt he was innocent.
That puts the ball in the hands of prosecutors.
They may now choose to end the two-year-old saga.
Karen Reed (center) listens to Judge Beverly J. Cannon greet the jury at the start of the third day of deliberations in her murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court on June 27, 2024 in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Prosecutor Adam Lally speaks in court during jury selection for the Karen Reed trial in Norfolk County Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Reed, 44, is accused of hitting her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of North Easter and leaving him to die after a night of drinking. (David McGlynn/New York Post via AP, Pool)
Karen Reed speaks to attorneys during jury selection in Norfolk County Superior Court on Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Dedham, Massachusetts. Reed, 44, is accused of hitting her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in the middle of North Easter and leaving him to die after a night of drinking. (David McGlynn/New York Post via AP, Pool)
Option 2: New trial, new jury with same charges
The Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office immediately issued a statement saying it intended to retry the case.
And Reed’s attorney, Alan Jackson, said, “We will not stop fighting.”
That puts the two sides on a collision course once again, though experts have pointed to some pitfalls that could hurt the D.A.’s Office again.
WATCH: Experts react to Proctor’s testimony and its far-reaching implications explained
Daniel Medved, a law and criminal justice professor at Northeastern University, believes prosecutors need to present more evidence if this is the route they choose.
“I think they might make a big deal about trying him again immediately afterward,” Medved said. Northeast Global News.
“But ultimately, unless new evidence comes to light, I think it’s going to be a tough job, and they might not move forward with it.”
Supporters of Karen Reed gather outside the courthouse on Friday, June 28, 2024 in Dedham, MA. (Patriot Pix/Backgrid for Fox News Digital)
Supporters of Karen Reed gather outside the courthouse in Dedham, MA on Friday, June 28, 2024. Reed faces three charges in the January 2022 death of her Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe. (Patriot Pix/Backgrid for Fox News Digital)
It also adds layers of complexity, including an investigation into Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, whose sexist and obscene messages may have destroyed the prosecution’s case, as well as an ongoing audit of possible misconduct at the Canton Police Department.
“You know, that trooper’s testimony was really a huge loss to the commonwealth,” said Suffolk Law professor Rosanna Cavallaro. told NBC 10 Boston,
“If in fact he is suspended or faces some sort of consequence for his misconduct, it will be very difficult for the Commonwealth to decide how to present their case.”
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Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor testifies during the trial of Karen Reed at Norfolk Superior Court on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Option 3: New trial, new jury, new charges
Legal expert Shira Diener told Fox News Digital that one possible way to avoid the potential pitfalls of retrying Reed for murder is to file separate charges.
Diener is a lecturer and clinical instructor at Boston University School of Law and president of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
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Karen Reed speaks to her attorney as the jury deliberates in her murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
“The prosecution has full control of the charges, so I think they can try again in a different way,” he said.
If the prosecution takes this route, it remains to be seen what the charges will be.
WATCH: Diner explains how Proctor’s testimony could twist another murder case
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For now, the matter is over. Reading is free.
Both sides – along with their opposing supporters – will retreat to their respective corners of the ring. Families will have to be reunited.
The next court appearance is scheduled for July 22 for a conference.
