A choose declared a mistrial Monday after jurors deadlocked within the case of Karen Learn, a girl accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend by hanging him along with her SUV and leaving him in a snowstorm, a case that drew outsize consideration because of true crime fanatics, conspiracy theorists and Learn’s pink-shirted supporters.
Decide Beverly Cannone referred to as for a standing listening to on July 22, when the commonwealth is anticipated to ship a call on whether or not they’d prefer to strive the case once more. Prosecutors mentioned in an announcement that they intend to retry the case.
Lawyer Barry Bisson, who chairs the Massachusetts Bar Affiliation’s Felony Justice Council, mentioned the prosecution will doubtless “sit down with the household for awhile” earlier than shifting ahead.
“It’s unlucky for each side, as a result of Ms. Learn has to see if the commonwealth goes to strive the case once more, which may imply one other nine-week trial,” Bisson mentioned. “Then you might have the sufferer’s household who must sit by means of this once more if the commonwealth decides to undergo with it.”
The nationwide notoriety of the high-profile case may additionally inhibit future jury choice, Bisson mentioned.
“Nobody may say that they haven’t seen or heard about this trial,” he mentioned. “That was the entire thing once they picked the jury the primary time, and now it’s been occurring for thus lengthy, within the information each single day, in all probability nobody within the commonwealth can say that they haven’t heard about this case. That’s in all probability going to make it even more durable to select a jury subsequent time.”
“Nobody within the commonwealth can say that they haven’t heard about this case. That’s in all probability going to make it even more durable to select a jury subsequent time.”
Lawyer Barry Bisson
Learn, a former adjunct professor at Bentley School, confronted second-degree homicide and different prices within the dying of Officer John O’Keefe, a 16-year member of the Boston police who was discovered outdoors a Canton dwelling of one other Boston police officer in January 2022. An post-mortem discovered O’Keefe died of hypothermia and blunt power trauma.
Prosecutors mentioned Learn and O’Keefe had been ingesting closely earlier than she dropped him off at a celebration on the dwelling of Brian Albert, a fellow officer. They mentioned she hit him along with her SUV earlier than driving away.
The protection sought to painting Learn because the sufferer, saying O’Keefe was truly had been killed inside Albert’s dwelling after which dragged outdoors and left for lifeless. They argued that investigators centered on Learn as a result of she was a “handy outsider” who saved them from having to contemplate different suspects, together with Albert and different legislation enforcement officers on the get together.
On Friday, a jury foreperson advised the choose that they hadn’t reached a unanimous verdict regardless of an “exhaustive overview of the proof.” The choose advised jurors to maintain making an attempt. On Monday morning, jurors mentioned they had been at an deadlock, however the choose requested them to proceed deliberating. Within the afternoon, they mentioned it will be futile to proceed.
“The deep division will not be as a result of a scarcity of effort or diligence however fairly a honest adherence to our particular person rules or ethical convictions,” the jury mentioned in a notice learn by the choose in court docket.
O’Keefe’s mom cried after the mistrial was declared, whereas Learn hugged her father and different relations.
The Norfolk County district lawyer’s workplace mentioned in an announcement: “First, we thank the O’Keefe household for his or her dedication and dedication to this lengthy course of. They maintained sight of the true core of this case — to search out justice for John O’Keefe. The Commonwealth intends to re-try the case.”
Protection lawyer Alan Jackson mentioned he and others representing Learn will hold preventing.
“They failed. They failed miserably, they usually’ll proceed to fail. Irrespective of how lengthy it takes, irrespective of how lengthy they hold making an attempt, we is not going to cease preventing,” he advised reporters outdoors court docket.
Testimony throughout the two-month trial centered on shoddy police work and relationships between the events. Police acknowledged utilizing pink plastic cups to gather blood proof and a leaf blower to attempt to clear away snow to disclose proof. The lead investigator acknowledged making crude statements about Learn in texts from his private cellphone.
Consultants disagreed on whether or not O’Keefe’s accidents had been according to being hit by Learn’s luxurious SUV, which had a damaged taillight. The protection contended the accidents had been attributable to an altercation and the Albert household’s aggressive canine.
Prosecutors relied on a number of first responders who testified that Learn admitted that she hit O’Keefe — saying “I hit him” — in addition to proof that Learn was legally intoxicated or near it eight hours later, after she returned to the home with associates they usually discovered the physique.
A number of witnesses testified the couple had a stormy relationship that had begun to bitter. Prosecutors offered offended texts between the couple hours earlier than O’Keefe died. Additionally they performed voice messages from Learn to O’Keefe that had been left after she allegedly struck him, together with one left minutes afterward saying, “John I (expletive) hate you.”
Protection attorneys sought to poke holes within the police investigation, noting that Albert’s home was by no means looked for indicators of a battle involving O’Keefe and that the crime scene was not secured. They urged that some proof — like items of her SUV’s cracked taillight, a damaged ingesting glass and even a strand of hair — was planted by police.
A turning level within the trial got here when lead investigator, State Trooper Michael Proctor, took the stand. He acknowledged sending offensive texts about Learn to associates, household and fellow troopers throughout the investigation. He apologized for the language he used however insisted that they had no affect on the investigation.
In his texts, he referred to as Learn a number of names, together with “whack job.” At one level, he texted his sister that he wished Learn would “kill herself,” which he advised jurors was a determine of speech. And regardless of having relationships with a number of witnesses, he remained on the case.
Two skilled witnesses employed by the U.S. Division of Justice throughout an investigation of police dealing with of the case testified for the protection, offering a scientific evaluation for his or her conclusion that O’Keefe’s accidents and the bodily proof didn’t sync with the prosecution concept that he was struck and injured by Learn’s 7,000-pound automobile.
O’Keefe had a big head damage and different accidents however lacked important bruising or damaged bones sometimes related to being hit by a automobile on the pace indicated by GPS and the SUV’s onboard laptop.
Whereas the drama performed out in a courtroom, dozens of Learn’s supporters wearing pink gathered every day outdoors, carrying “Free Karen Learn” indicators and mobbing her when she arrived every day. Motorists honked their horns in help. A smaller group of people that need Learn convicted additionally turned up.
Mary McManus, a longtime Canton resident and retired college instructor, used to contemplate Canton a “sleepy little city.” However she mentioned the case motivated residents to make their voices heard, and once-quiet city conferences reworked into contentious affairs.
“It’s disheartening to know that now we have to start out this course of once more, however it’s good in a means too, as a result of it’s an eye-opener,” she mentioned. “It’s having the folks on the town have a look at what’s occurring and taking a extra energetic position within the course of.”
Heather Fairfield, a property supervisor who has lived in Canton for 50 years, says the roughly 24,000-person neighborhood has been divided by the “polarizing” case, with many residents afraid to specific their opinions out of concern of being ostracized or alienating their neighbors.
She mentioned she was alarmed to listen to about how the crime scene was processed by Canton police, who used a leaf blower to take away snow from the scene and picked up proof in pink plastic cups and paper luggage, in accordance with testimony from Lt. Paul Gallagher of Canton Police.
“The largest downside now we have right here, actually, is that the police broke belief with the neighborhood by not doing this investigation correctly,” Fairfield mentioned. “And since they broke belief with the folks on this city by not doing what they need to have completed, the folks on this city are actually breaking belief with one another, as a result of folks really feel compelled to take sides.”
Suspicions of police corruption following O’Keefe’s dying led residents to vote for an unbiased audit of the police division final November. In January, inside communications confirmed an ongoing federal probe into the Norfolk District Lawyer’s workplace.
The chaos of the case has challenged Canton residents’ belief in authority and police, Fairfield mentioned.
“It’s private, as a result of I’ve to reside on this city,” she mentioned. “I now should be afraid that if one thing occurred to one among my family members, that is how the investigation goes to be dealt with, with this degree of carelessness.”
GBH Information reporter Tori Bedford contributed response from lawyer Barry Bisson and Canton residents.
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