Karen Read was acquitted of homicide charges Wednesday but convicted of driving under the influence — concluding a high-profile case and second trial that drew international attention.
Northeastern University law expert Daniel Medwed says such a split “mercy verdict” is not uncommon.
“It is not uncommon for juries to land on a compromise or a mercy verdict like this [acquitting on serious charges while convicting on lesser ones] when they have doubts about whether the defendant committed the most serious offense but still want to hold the person accountable for something,” says Medwed, a university distinguished professor of law and criminal justice.
“In this case, the drunk driving charge seems like a natural rung for jurors to hang their sense of her culpability on,” he says.
Prosecutors alleged that Read was drunk when she struck her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, with her SUV while dropping him off at a home in Canton, Massachusetts, on Jan. 29, 2022, following a night out with friends.
Read’s lawyers said, however, that someone else killed O’Keefe during a party at a fellow officer’s home and that Read has been framed in a widespread conspiracy among law enforcement, the homeowners and fellow afterparty guests.
A first trial ended in a hung jury.
A retrial ended Wednesday, after the jury returned verdicts of not guilty on charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. The jury found Read guilty of operating under the influence of alcohol.
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As Read was cleared of the most serious charges, cheers from a huge crowd of onlookers outside the courthouse could be heard inside the courtroom. After the verdict, the crowd began singing “America the Beautiful.”
The court clerk said Read would be sentenced to one year of probation, a typical sentence for a first-time OUI offender.
Paul O’Keefe, the brother of John O’Keefe, has filed a wrongful death civil suit on behalf of his family and his brother’s estate against Read and two bars in Canton.