Mistrial in Karen Read case over murder of police friend

A judge has thrown out the case of Karen Read, an American woman accused of running over her police officer boyfriend and leaving him for dead in a snowdrift.

The jury in the murder trial, which has fascinated true-crime fans across the country, was deadlocked after days of deliberation and could not agree on a verdict.

Ms Read, 45, had pleaded not guilty to the murder of John O'Keefe outside a house party following an argument in the early hours of January 29, 2022.

But defense attorneys said her 46-year-old boyfriend was killed at the party thrown by a fellow officer, and that Ms. Read was lured into a trap to cover up the crime.

Supporters of the suspect from across the country gathered outside the courthouse, wearing pink T-shirts that read “Free Karen Read.”

The jurors in the Norfolk District Court deliberated for five days before sending a letter to Judge Beverly Cannone saying they were “deeply divided by fundamental differences in our opinions and dispositions” and had “reached a point where consensus was not attainable.”

The judge subsequently declared the trial null and void.

A hearing on Ms. Read's next steps will be held on July 22. Prosecutors at the Norfolk District Attorney's Office say they plan to retry the case.

Ms. Read, a stock analyst and university lecturer in finance, was charged with second-degree murder, intoxicated manslaughter and leaving the scene of a crime resulting in injury and death.

She and O'Keefe were at two bars in the Boston suburb of Canton on the evening of Jan. 28, 2022, when she says she drove him to an afterparty at the nearby home of fellow Boston police officer Brian Albert.

Prosecutors said the couple had been arguing and after O'Keefe got out of his girlfriend's Lexus SUV, he was confronted outside the home by an allegedly intoxicated woman. Read deliberately reversed into him and drove away.

Prosecutors said O'Keefe suffered severe head injuries, was unconscious and froze to death.

People in the home said O'Keefe did not go inside that night.

The prosecution also stated that the brake lights of the suspect's car were broken and that the vehicle's internal system indicated that the suspect had been driving backwards at high speed.

Mrs Read said that when her boyfriend didn't come home, she and two other women went out to look for him.

They found O'Keefe's body in front of the fellow officer's house.

Firefighters who arrived on the scene that morning testified that Mrs. Read told them, “I hit him, I hit him.”

Mrs Read said she asked in panic and shock, “Did I hit him?”

The defense argued that O'Keefe entered the house, was killed during a fight, and his body was taken outside and dumped in the snow.

Federal agent Brian Higgins was also present at the home at 34 Fairview Road. During the trial, it was testified that he and Ms. Read exchanged flirtatious text messages and a physical kiss.

Conspiracy theories about the case were fueled by text messages from the lead investigator.

During his testimony, Massachusetts State Police Officer Michael Proctor admitted that he called Mrs. Read a “crazy job” in which he tells colleagues he found “no nude photos” while searching her phone for evidence, and sends a message to his sister wishing Mrs. Read would “commit suicide”.

He apologized on the witness stand for the “unprofessional” comments.

Mr Proctor also acknowledged that he had a friendship with the brother of Brian Albert, the police officer who organised the house party, and his wife. However, he stressed that this personal relationship had not affected the investigation.

Defense attorney Alan Jackson said during his argument: “Ladies and gentlemen, there was a cover-up in this case, that's clear.”

Prosecutor Adam Lally responded by telling jurors that the defense had created a conspiracy theory in a “three-card monte.”

Mrs Read and O'Keefe had a relationship about two years before his death that prosecutors say turned stormy.

The trial heard that after driving away from home she called his phone and left a voicemail saying: 'John, I [expletive] I hate you!”

According to Ms Read's lawyers, the couple argued only occasionally.

Some are comparing the viral Read case to other true crime hits in which women are accused of violent crimes, such as Casey Anthony, Amanda Knox and Jodi Arias.

Dr NG Berrill, a forensic psychologist and director of the New York Center for Neuropsychology and Forensic Behavioural Science, told the BBC that such cases often go viral when people can “somehow identify” with the accused.

“That's why most cases go unnoticed. Street crime is not interesting to people,” he said.

“People would like to say they don't enjoy it, but they do, they learn about gruesome details, especially if there's a hook – sex, relationships, violence. That's what draws people in.”

(With additional reporting by Bernd Debusmann Jr.)