A Massachusetts jury remains divided in the murder trial of Karen Reed, who is accused of killing her boyfriend, a Boston Police Department officer, and the judge has applied final pressure on the jury to reach a verdict.
In a separate memo to the judge, the jurors said they were “deeply divided” and that “it is impossible to reach an agreement” after more than 22 1/2 hours of deliberation because of their “strong beliefs.”
Judge Beverly Cannon moved in the Tuay-Rodriguez case, a last resort to encourage jurors to consider their opinions one more time before declaring a verdict disagreement.
Reed is accused of intentionally backing into John O’Keefe with his SUV during a drunken altercation in January 2022, causing O’Keefe’s death in the front yard of his Canton, Massachusetts home as northeast winds blew.
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Karen Reed is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, with her car in January 2022. She has pleaded not guilty. (John Trumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images and Boston Police)
O’Keefe’s body was found in several inches of snow outside the home of Boston Police Officer Brian Albert.
She pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a crash causing injury and death.
Dashcam footage of the night John O’Keefe was found dead
Reed argued that he was framed in an elaborate cover-up to protect the Alberts, a powerful clan with deep ties to law enforcement.
The jury heard testimony from 74 witnesses and reviewed more than 700 pieces of evidence. They sent multiple notes to the judge saying they had been unable to reach a consensus since the weekend.
Karen Reed, center, listens as Judge Beverly J. Cannon addresses the jury at the start of deliberations on the third day of her murder trial, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts. Reed is on trial for the 2022 murder of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via The Associated Press, Pool)
Judge Beverly Cannon looks over the verdict forms that jurors must complete if they reach a verdict in the murder trial of Karen Reed, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts. The defense requested several amendments. Reed is charged with second-degree murder for the January 2022 killing of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe. (Greg Durr/Patriot Ledger via The Associated Press, Pool)
A murder-or-conspiracy trial perfect for television becomes even more conspiratorial as suburban Boston residents find themselves in divided alliances.
The sentence marked the culmination of two years of clashes between Reid’s supporters and critics, with protesters voicing their opinions, #FreeKaren signs being erected and family and friends on both sides being berated and heckled.
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A friend of O’Keefe’s told Fox News Digital that as they entered the courtroom on the first day of the trial, Reed’s supporters yelled profanities and heckled them.
Aidan “Turtleboy” Carney, a controversial blogger who was often seen carrying a bullhorn and writing about the incident in support of Reid, was assaulted outside a bar in Canton over the weekend.
Two people, Jillian Daniels and James Farris, both of Canton, have been charged with assault, police confirmed. NBC 10 Boston.
Massachusetts blogger Aiden “Turtleboy” Carney has been charged with witness intimidation for allegedly threatening a witness in a Massachusetts murder case. (Aidan Carney (@DoctorTurleboy)/X)
Karen Reed, 44, waits for defense lawyers to meet on the sidelines of the courtroom during Reed’s trial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, on Friday, June 14, 2024. Reed is accused of crashing her boyfriend, a Boston Police Department officer, in an SUV in northeast winds and leaving him nearly for dead after a night of heavy drinking. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Poole)
Shortly before the trial was to begin, Carney was arrested for “showing up” and “causing trouble” at the witness’s children’s sporting events, harassing and photographing the witness at her home and workplace, and instructing followers of his blog to do the same.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including witness intimidation. The case remains ongoing.
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Another salacious portion of the trial involved the documents of the investigator on the case, Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, whose vulgar and sexist documents were revealed during testimony.
During brutal cross-examination, jurors visibly shook their heads as the defendant took the stand and read the sentences.
In private messages, he called her a “freak,” a “pussy-less bitch” and “a piece of shit,” and joked about wishing for suicide and searching her phone for nude pictures.
Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor testifies at the trial of Karen Reed, Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Greg Durr/Patriot Ledger via The Associated Press, Pool)
Karen Reed speaks with her attorney in court during jury selection, Thursday, April 18, 2024, at Norfolk County Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts. Reed, 44, is accused of ramming her Boston police officer boyfriend with her SUV in northeast winds, causing his death after a night of heavy drinking. (David McGlynn/New York Post via Associated Press, Pool)
Under grilling from the defense, the embattled state trooper acknowledged his messages were “unprofessional and regrettable” but maintained the integrity of his investigation.
The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office declined to comment on Reed’s trial or subsequent developments, and Massachusetts State Police did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital about the impact of Proctor’s actions.
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Experts like Shira Diner, a lecturer at Boston University School of Law and president of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Lawyers, say this will have far-reaching implications.
Proctor currently works for the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office and was the lead investigator in Reed’s case and the officer in charge in other cases.
This includes high-profile murder cases such as that of Brian Walsh, who allegedly killed his wife last year.
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Karen Reed leaves Norfolk Superior Court after a day of jury selection, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Dedham, Massachusetts. Reed is accused of running into her Boston police officer boyfriend in an SUV in a northeasterly wind and causing his death after a night of heavy drinking. (AP Photo/Stephen Sene)
Judge Beverly Cannon presided over jury selection at the trial of Karen Reed in Norfolk County Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Reed, 44, was accused of crashing her SUV into her boyfriend, a Boston Police Department officer, during northeasterly winds, causing his death after a night of heavy drinking. (David McGlynn/New York Post via Associated Press, Pool)
“In some ways, this is completely unknown,” Diner said after Proctor’s testimony, because of how detailed the documents are and how widely followed the trial has been.
“If this was a trial where nobody was paying attention, the cross-examination would have been over, maybe a couple of lawyers would have been paying attention, but that was it.
Prosecutor Adam Lally speaks in court during jury selection in the Karen Reed trial, Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Norfolk County Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts. Reed, 44, was accused of crashing her SUV with her boyfriend, a Boston Police Department officer, in northeast winds, causing his death after a night of heavy drinking. (David McGlynn/New York Post via Associated Press, Pool)
Karen Reed’s defense lawyers hold up poster boards with information they claim proves their client’s innocence in the murder of John O’Keefe. (John Trumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
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“But now there’s no way to undo this.”
