Overview

• The 18-member jury began deliberating Friday after prosecutors and defense attorneys presented closing arguments in Read’s second murder trial.
• Read faces charges of second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a fatal collision in the January 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe.
• Prosecutors pointed to broken taillight fragments found near O’Keefe’s body and voicemails in which Read expressed anger at him as evidence that she struck him with her SUV and drove away.
• The defense argues Read was framed by a close-knit law enforcement circle, citing possible dog-bite injuries on O’Keefe and investigative bias following the firing of lead detective Michael Proctor over sexist text messages.
• This retrial, which began April 22 after a 2024 mistrial due to a hung jury, has drawn widespread public attention and demonstrations by Read’s supporters outside Norfolk Superior Court.