The Jury in Karen Read's Second Trial Has Questions About an OUI Charge — Details Explained

Jury deliberations for Karen Read's second trial began June 13, 2025. Read is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, in a hit-and-run incident in January 2022. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts believes Read struck O'Keefe after dropping him off at a house party, then left him to die in the snow. Read's attorneys argue she is part of an elaborate frame job by multiple law enforcement agencies. Her first trial ended in a hung jury.

Three days into deliberations, the jury sent out questions to Judge Beverly Cannone, who read them aloud in court. "If we find not guilty on two charges but can't agree on one charge, is it a hung jury on all three charges or just one charge?" they asked. They asked for more information on the timeframe of the OUI charge. What is that? Here's what we know.

The jury sent out three questions, one of which was asking the judge if the timeframe for the OUI charge was 12:45 or 5:00 a.m. An OUI charge stands for Operating Under the Influence and in Massachusetts means the offender consented to a breathalyzer test. If they are found to have a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or higher, they will be charged with operating under the influence. In a case without other charges, the offender could have their driver's license suspended or revoked.

The two other questions asked also seem to point to the jury leaning towards a lesser charge, reports Fox Newss. They wanted to know if video clips of Read's interviews are considered evidence. This is probably in reference to the documentary Read did which was released between her first and second trials. During the retrial, prosecution showed footage of Read to the jury.

The third question was about convicting Read on a subcharge, specifically wondering if this would mean an overall conviction. "It does appear that the jury is entirely focused on OUI based on all three questions," New York City-based defense attorney Mark Bederow told the outlet. He is representing Read supporter Aidan Kearney. Bederow said something similar happened to the jury in Read's first trial, who seemingly acquitted on all homicide charges but were confused by the convoluted instructions.

Following the discovery of O'Keefe's body, Read was hospitalized due to mental anguish. While there, her blood alcohol content was tested and found to be .09 percent. It was estimated that O'Keefe died nine hours earlier, which means Read's BAC was probably higher at the time.

In the documentary, which was played at the trial, Read discussed her alcohol consumption on the night O'Keefe died. "The drinks that they were pouring me at McCarthy's, which was where I consumed most of the alcohol, was the weakest vodka tonic," she recalled. "It tasted just like all soda water with lime, not that I need it to be a martini, but it might have a splash of vodka in it." Experts think the jury is focused on how much Read had to drink.