Karen Read was acquitted of the charge of second-degree murder; however, the Massachusetts woman was found guilty of drunk driving.
Read was accused of drunk driving and striking her off-duty police officer boyfriend and leaving him to die in January 2022.
Karen Read To Serve Probation
For being a first-time offender, she will now serve one year of probation for the conviction of drunk driving. The judge agreed to the year of probation, which the Commonwealth had also suggested.
Karen Read hugged her lawyers after the verdict was read in court. She also turned to hug others supporting her in the courtroom.
Read was wearing a light blue suit and was seen crying and holding a tissue while greeting those standing behind the defense table.
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Karen Read Supporters Assemble Outside Court
Supporters of Read had assembled outside the courthouse and cheered loudly after the verdict was announced acquitting them her.
Read’s supporters donned pink and championed her claims of innocence throughout both trials. The supporters echoed allegations of police corruption made by Raed’s defense.
Karen Read’s father, Bill Read, while gathering outside the courthouse in Dedham, Massachusetts, praised the strength of his daughter after the verdict was read.
“I want to acknowledge the strength of our daughter, Karen, the support of the entire Read extended family,” he said before going on to acknowledge what he called “the greatest team of attorneys.”
Karen Read Her Legal Team
After being found not guilty of murder, Karen Read thanked her legal team. Speaking outside the courthouse to her supporters, dressed in pink, Read thanked her supporters.
“No one has fought harder for justice for John O’Keefe than I have. Than I have, and my team.”
Who are Karen Read and John O’Keefe?
Karen Read used to work as an adjunct professor at Bentley University and an equity analyst at Fidelity Investments. Read and John O’Keefe were together for about two years before his 2022 death.
O’Keefe spent 16 years with the Boston Police Department before dying at 46.
Read faced charges including second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while drunk and leaving the scene of a collision that resulted in death.
Karen Read Trials
The first Karen Read trial ended in a mistrial on July 1. Jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision. The defense has said that the jury was set to acquit Read of two charges but deadlocked on a third, which led to the mistrial.
During the second trial, the Karen Read defense team did not back down from their claims. Throughout the trial, they argued that police orchestrated a conspiracy. They alleged that O’Keefe was beaten, bitten by a dog and then left outside a home in Canton. The also alleged that police planted evidence against Read.
Also Read: Closing Arguments Set In Karen Read Murder Trial As Case Nears Jury Deliberation
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
