Karen Read awaits fate as jury begins second full day of deliberations
A Massachusetts jury has begun its second full day of deliberations in the second murder trial of Karen Read, the woman accused of hitting her police officer boyfriend with her SUV and leaving him for dead in 2022.
The 12-person panel has deliberated for more than nine hours and has not yet reached a decision on Read's fate. They are scheduled to be back in court at 9 a.m. local time.
Read, 45, has pleaded not guilty to three charges: second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death.
Prosecutors accuse Read of backing into Boston police officer John O'Keefe with her Lexus SUV and leaving him to die in the snow after a night out drinking. O'Keefe's body was found outside the house of another law enforcement officer.
Read's defense claims police officers in the house beat O'Keefe, threw his body out in the snow and purposely bungled the investigation as part of a cover-up.
The deliberations come nearly a year after the prosecution's first case against Read ended in a mistrial, when a jury could not come to a unanimous verdict on the charges against her.
Catch up with our coverage and analysis from the most pivotal moments of the retrial.
Why Karen Read is a true-crime obsession
Karen Read screams: Jennifer McCabe, prosecution's star witness, testifies
Scratches, taillight shards, hair: Jurors get a look at Karen Read's SUV
The dog did it? What to know about the German Shepherd tied to the Karen Read trial
Karen Read claims police bungled the investigation. What did they supposedly do wrong?
Was John O'Keefe struck by a baseball bat? Doctor testifies about cops injuries
Karen Read Trial in hands of jury: Which evidence could tilt the case?
The high-profile whodunnit has sparked massive intrigue from true crime fans across the country, spurring an array of podcasts, movies and television shows. On Monday, crowds of people gathered outside the courthouse and cheered in support of Read as they awaited a verdict.
Contributing: Karissa Waddick
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jury in Karen Read trial begins second full day of deliberations
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