Defense lawyers for Karen Reed, the suspect in the murder of a Boston police officer, said Monday that jurors in her trial in the death of John O’Keefe had “agreed” to acquit her before the judge declared a mistrial.
They raised the issue in a motion to dismiss the charges of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of an accident. Boston 25and made its submission public.
Three of the 12 jurors sent “ex parte communications” to the defense that “clearly indicated that the jury was in firm agreement, 12-0, that Ms. Reed was not guilty of two of the three charges,” her lawyers wrote.
Karen Reed murder case ends with ‘deeply divided’ jury verdict
Karen Reed speaks with her attorneys in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, on Monday, July 1, 2024. Reed is accused of backing into her Boston police boyfriend, John O’Keefe, with her SUV in 2022, leaving him to die during a snowstorm in Canton. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via The Associated Press, Pool)
But the trial of Reed, 44, ended last week after five days of deliberations when Judge Beverly Cannon declared a mistrial after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
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Officer John O’Keefe is seen in this photo released by Boston Police. (Boston Police Department via The Associated Press)
“Despite our resolve, we are deeply divided by fundamental differences,” the jurors wrote in a memo to the judge. “It is not for lack of understanding or trying, but we are unable to reach an agreement.”
O’Keefe, Reed’s then-boyfriend, died during a snowstorm in January 2022 after Reed allegedly hit him with his SUV, drove off and left him outside another officer’s home.
Karen Reed smiles as her attorney, David Yanett, speaks to reporters outside Norfolk Superior Court after a judge declared a mistrial, Monday, July 1, 2024, in Dedham, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Stephen Sene)
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Karen Reed looks up as her attorney, Alan Jackson, speaks to reporters outside Norfolk Superior Court, Monday, July 1, 2024, in Dedham, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Stephen Sene)
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The main point of contention between the defense and prosecution was whether she intentionally hit him or knew that she had done so.
Reed alleged that O’Keefe’s powerful fellow officers framed her as the culprit.
But the prosecution argued that the pair had been in a drunken argument on the night the defendant died.
Judge Beverly Cannon presided over jury selection in the Karen Reed trial, Thursday, April 18, 2024, in Norfolk County Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts. (David McGlynn/New York Post via Associated Press, Pool)
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“Despite our best efforts in carrying out the duties entrusted to us, we are deeply divided by fundamental differences of opinion and sentiment.” The juror wrote In a final notice to the judge last Monday.
Prosecutors have said they plan to seek a new trial. Reed’s defense team has argued that the jury effectively acquitted him on at least two of the charges, arguing that he was guilty of double sanctions under the constitution.
Fox News’ Stephanie Price and Chris Eberhart contributed to this report.
