Following a highly publicized trial, the case against alleged boyfriend killer Karen Read resulted in a mistrial, much to the frustration of prosecutors. Legal experts believe Read’s defense attorneys will return to court and demand that the charges against Read be dismissed due to the jury’s verdict from her initial trial, a demand that prosecutors could end up agreeing to. Read’s initial trial resulted in a mistrial after four jurors claimed they reached a unanimous not guilty verdict, which the accused murderer’s attorneys claim should fall under legal protection from a second prosecution.
Despite the jurors claiming they reached a unanimous verdict and a different juror stating that nobody thought Read intentionally killed her police officer boyfriend, the judge overseeing the case announced a mistrial and postponed Read’s case for a new criminal proceeding. According to Judge Beverly Cannone, there isn’t a definitive statement from the jury that would preclude a new trial. Cannone also refused to allow the case’s prosecution or Read’s attorneys a chance to talk about the proceedings following her ruling. Another issue identified by Read’s attorneys is Cannone’s refusal to question the jury about their verdict, which the defense claims was unanimous.
Immediately after the mistrial, Read’s attorneys filed a motion for dismissal, claiming that the jury had reached a verdict and that Read couldn’t stand trial for the same charges. The prosecutors publicly disagreed with the motion, arguing that the defense relied heavily on juror statements and “conjecture” when asking for the dismissal. Read’s attorneys remain adamant that a dismissal is warranted, but the accused murderer’s second trial has already been scheduled for January 27th, 2025.
The incident leading to Read’s initial arrest made national headlines in 2022 due to the graphic nature of her police officer boyfriend’s death. According to investigators, Read intentionally ran over her boyfriend with an SUV back in January 2022. Read allegedly ran her boyfriend over during a snowstorm and drove away from the scene. Despite the evidence against Read and her boyfriend’s autopsy confirming his death was a result of blunt force trauma, Read’s attorneys claim the accused murderer didn’t kill her boyfriend and shouldn’t stand trial for the heinous murder a second time.
