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00:00I'm slowly starting to pack what I know I definitely won't need again for this trial.
00:10And hopefully the next packing of the suitcase is all my court suits that I hope never to
00:16wear again.
00:17I'm being charged with murdering a Boston police officer.
00:22It's been a long haul.
00:23It's going on year three and I just want to go away and be alone and I don't want any
00:28more court clothes.
00:29I don't want any more experts.
00:31I just want to be done.
00:55Could you please state your name and spell your last name for the jury?
00:58Trooper Joe Paul, that's P-A-U-L.
01:02Trooper Paul is a crash reconstructionist for the Massachusetts State Police.
01:09He kind of took apart the car, went through some of the computer systems and did an analysis
01:15of what happened based on the logs that the car's computers kept.
01:20So from this data, this vehicle is backing up in the manner of about five seconds or
01:25so in a fairly straight line and achieves a maximum speed of 24.2 miles per hour, correct?
01:31Correct.
01:32According to what Trooper Paul says he read and studied in there, the black box data from
01:38that night shows Karen flipping her car into reverse and backing up 62 and a half feet
01:45at zero to 24 miles an hour and then abruptly stopping.
01:50That action is the premise of the state's case.
01:54Zero to 24 miles an hour in reverse, hitting and killing John O'Keefe.
01:58The vehicle was traveling at a high accelerate, a higher acceleration when...
02:08Sorry.
02:11That being said, on direct examination, Trooper Paul was already a really nervous witness.
02:16The vehicle accelerated at a high rate of speed before it struck the pedestrian John
02:20O'Keefe on the roadway and subsequently left him at the scene.
02:24Now specifically with reference to this case, what, if any, analysis did you conduct with
02:30regard to kinematics?
02:32Yes, I did a kinematics analysis of my report, kinematics deals with the aspect of motion.
02:39So in this particular case, I kind of labeled it as a forward projection crash with a side
02:45swipe.
02:46It was a situation where he got more struck through the side of the vehicle with on the
02:50taillight area that it projected him to forward and then to the left due to the like more
02:56of a side swipe manner and his back could have struck the ground.
03:01I noted at the scene that there was asphalt curbing, which could have somewhere he could
03:05have struck his head in there or somewhere along any of the pavement would have caused
03:08damage.
03:10And then it was Alan Jackson's turn.
03:13And the cross-examination of Trooper Paul was, I think, pretty devastating for the state.
03:17It was tough to watch.
03:19Do you hold any degrees in the scientific discipline of mathematics?
03:26I do not.
03:27Do you hold any degrees in the scientific discipline of physics?
03:31I do not.
03:32How about in kinematics?
03:33No.
03:34The highest degree that you do hold, sir?
03:36I have an associate's degree.
03:38In what?
03:39Uh, administration of justice.
03:41Alan Jackson just made Trooper Paul seem like an inexperienced, barely accident reconstructionist
03:50who maybe didn't even understand his own data.
03:52In my report, I do say, I can't say that is definitively where the pedestrian struck.
03:57You cannot say that.
03:59Definitively, yes.
04:00Okay, so you're going to have to slow down and speak up, okay?
04:04Okay.
04:05So you're saying that you cannot say definitively that that resulted in a pedestrian strike?
04:12That data point within the text stream data is what I'm talking about.
04:17Okay.
04:18That specific point.
04:19That time frame.
04:20Is there any evidence whatsoever that he landed and rolled?
04:24And there was no evidence that he landed or rolled.
04:27Based on your expert opinion, do you believe that he was projected through the air to his
04:34final rest place?
04:35That's not what I'm saying.
04:36But you said there's no evidence that he rolled.
04:39And there's no evidence that he flew through the air either.
04:42Zack.
04:43Right?
04:44Zack.
04:45It's action.
04:46Sustained.
04:47Trooper Paul presented a theory about John O'Keefe possibly getting hit by the car in
04:55the arm, sending him projected backwards, where he then lands on the back of his head
05:01on a frozen ground, causing many of his head injuries.
05:05I've been dying to know this for two and a half years, is what was the point of impact
05:09on John's body?
05:10Was it the back of the head?
05:11No, he fell back and hit his head.
05:13Well, all right.
05:14So did he get hit in the head by the car, but how?
05:18No injuries on the shoulder, no injuries on the torso, no injuries on the ribs, no injuries
05:23on the back.
05:24Correct?
05:25Is that right?
05:26Yes.
05:27So the theory is, he got hit on the arm, took the brunt of the force from the taillight
05:31on the arm, stayed with the vehicle long enough for the taillight to explode, basically, to
05:39shatter.
05:40Then these striations get on his arm, abrasions.
05:44Does a pirouette, a spin, counterclockwise, and flies 30 feet in the air to his point
05:48of rest.
05:49Yeah.
05:51Yeah.
05:52Happened probably a little faster than that, though.
05:57He actually said he hit his head on the curb.
06:00I said that's one of the possibilities of, when you look at the roadway, as he gets spun
06:05around kind of clockwise, it's a possibility that the curb is there.
06:10All right.
06:11Jurors will take the morning recess.
06:14Then, the defense brings in these two guys from this company called ARCA, which is apparently
06:20a professional accident reconstruction company that works for the government and for the
06:25NHL and all these official sources.
06:29And they've been hired by the FBI to look at this case.
06:32All right, Mr. Jackson, whenever you're ready.
06:34Thank you, Your Honor.
06:35These guys come in, they're polished, they have advanced degrees in biomechanics, in
06:41physics, in all of the things that surround accident reconstruction.
06:45By its very nature, Sideswipe has minimal forces.
06:48We see it even between vehicles that just rub against each other.
06:51So, if there's a Sideswipe impact with a pedestrian in a vehicle, there's going to be very little
06:56damage to the pedestrian.
06:58And similarly, there's going to be very little movement.
07:01So, was the tail light damage consistent or inconsistent with striking an arm?
07:06It was, our findings was it's inconsistent for a number of reasons, but it's inconsistent
07:12with striking the arm.
07:13Yes, sir.
07:15And they said there's no way a vehicle strike killed John O'Keefe.
07:19It was my understanding that Mr. O'Keefe had a skull fracture on the back of his head.
07:24So, we wanted to do an evaluation of the interaction between the back of a head.
07:30So, what is your opinion or conclusion as to whether or not the damage to the tail light
07:34was caused by striking John O'Keefe's head?
07:37From a damage standpoint, it was inconsistent.
07:45But if you do not buy that someone else killed John O'Keefe and then staged his body out
07:51there to frame Karen Reed, which is, you know, the conspiracy that the defense has alleged,
07:57if you don't buy that, then how else did John O'Keefe die?
08:01There was a shattered tail light and there was a broken cocktail glass that was found
08:05next to him.
08:06If John O'Keefe threw a cocktail glass at the tail light, could that have broken the
08:11tail light and shattered it?
08:13I think the most likely scenario based on the evidence presented at trial is that Johnny
08:18was standing to the side holding the cocktail glass that he left the waterfall with.
08:22If you look at the back of Karen's Lexus, there is a chip directly where a six foot
08:27one man would be holding a glass.
08:30The chip in the back of the Lexus could clearly have been made as the Lexus at 24 miles an
08:35hour struck the glass with Johnny's hand in it.
08:37And I think the Lexus tail light housing hit him, clipped him and ripped his arm as
08:42he went by.
08:43There are shards, sharp shards of that tail light housing there that definitely could
08:47have caused those injuries.
08:49After being clipped, he spun out where he then hit his head on either the curb or the
08:54frozen ground where he sustained the large laceration to the back of his head.
09:00The medical examiner, she's this neutral party and she's the one who performed the autopsy
09:05on John O'Keefe and they will question her about the injuries that John had.
09:10I did the autopsy on Mr. O'Keefe and determined that he had injuries to his head as well as
09:17signs of hypothermia.
09:19So the combination of those two was the cause of death.
09:25The manner of death has to do with the circumstances under which Mr. O'Keefe sustained those injuries.
09:32And I did not have enough information to be able to determine whether those injuries were
09:39accidental or not.
09:41And so my manner of death was undetermined or could not be determined.
09:48The manner of death in this case was deemed to be an accident.
09:53The manner of death in this case was deemed undetermined by the medical examiner.
09:59That is the most fundamental part of a murder prosecution, right?
10:05And even their own expert could not make that determination here.
10:11A lot of what you heard from the defense was, look at John's injuries, right?
10:14Look at his arm and what they say are the dog bites on his arm.
10:18Look that he had no broken bones and very few injuries below the waist.
10:24In my opinion, that's some of the strongest evidence that the defense has that, you know,
10:28that this was something other than a car strike is when you look at John's injuries.
10:33The arm injuries that you observed, would those be consistent with scratches from either
10:38glass or a piece of plastic or a piece of metal?
10:41It's possible.
10:43And the injuries that you observed, would that be consistent with injuries that you observed
10:50in other cases of a pedestrian collision?
10:55They're not the classic pedestrian injuries that we observed, no.
11:00People who are unbiased and look at this evidence, not even deeply into the evidence,
11:06but his injuries, my car, just those two, it's apparent what happened and what didn't happen.
11:15But the problem is, the accident reconstructionists that were hired by the feds,
11:20they didn't have all the evidence for this case.
11:24If either Mr. O'Keefe's arm or head had interacted with the taillight,
11:29would there be some expectation that either blood or DNA would be contained on that taillight?
11:35Is that correct?
11:37I believe yes, that was stated in the report.
11:39And at any point were you made aware that Mr. O'Keefe's DNA actually was recovered
11:43from that taillight assembly from the defendant's vehicle?
11:47No.
11:49Prosecutors say they have DNA evidence that can help prove their case.
11:54John O'Keefe's DNA was found on Karen Reed's broken taillight.
11:56The single strand of hair found on her SUV was also his.
12:01When DNA experts testified, Alan Jackson didn't have that same swagger
12:08on the walkout side of court that he usually does.
12:12What, if any, opinions or conclusions come from as far as the comparative analysis
12:16between the swab from the taillight from that vehicle and the profile from Mr. O'Keefe?
12:21The DNA profile from this item is at least 510 non-million times more likely
12:26if it originated from John O'Keefe and two unknown individuals
12:30than if it originated from three unknown, unrelated individuals,
12:33and this provides support for an inclusion.
12:36DNA evidence did place parts of John on the back of Karen's car,
12:42in the spot where the state claims she hit him.
12:46There was John's DNA on the broken cocktail glass next to him.
12:49There was John's DNA in the area of the taillight on the car,
12:53and then there was a hair that was consistent with being John's
12:56on the back passenger side of Karen Reed's car near the taillight.
13:03The defense has two responses to that.
13:07One, John O'Keefe's DNA would be all over that car.
13:11He'd been in a long-term relationship with Karen Reed.
13:16Second, okay, if Karen Reed's car is towed a very long distance,
13:22how is this little hair going to stick to this car?
13:26It does seem odd that a single strand of hair could somehow attach itself to a car,
13:31and, you know, a car that then is driven 60 miles back and forth in a blizzard.
13:37You're going to tell me a hair stays on the bumper throughout that entire drive?
13:45If you ask the prosecution, there was a giant blizzard that night.
13:48That evidence could be frozen onto that car as it was towed in freezing conditions in a blizzard,
13:55and then once it's in the Canton Police Sally Port and all the ice and snow melts,
13:59that DNA reveals itself on the car.
14:03I'm not a scientist.
14:05I've never done an experiment trying to preserve a piece of hair in ice.
14:08So I don't know.
14:10But it's kind of unclear exactly what happened.
14:16Good afternoon. A big day for this case.
14:20We didn't know if this person was going to be called.
14:22Well, today we saw the man, Lucky, the plow driver that plowed 34 Fairview that morning
14:28and throughout the night during that snowstorm.
14:31One of the other very obvious aspects of this case is if Karen Reed hit John O'Keefe at 12.31 on January 29.
14:41At every moment after 12.30, his body's going to be laying there, right?
14:46I mean, that's just obvious.
14:50Except for the snow plow driver who drives by at 2.30 in the morning
14:55and his testimony was devastating to the prosecution.
15:07What do you remember about that day, the 28th?
15:10It was a potential blizzard.
15:13We had been given a stock time.
15:16We were told to be in by 2.30 in the morning.
15:20Brian Loughran was driving this snow plow that night
15:24and he was, I think, a very likable witness for the defense.
15:31We have two plow lights that are situated at the corners of the trucks
15:37and it's up high. It illuminates very well.
15:43How far can you see off to the sides in front of you and directly in front of you?
15:48I can see a real long distance, probably 5, 10 feet, 15 feet out, maybe even further.
15:58Now, are you familiar with the Albert residents on Fairview Road?
16:04Yes. Growing up in Canton, I knew where they lived.
16:08And when you made that first pass by that residence at 2.45 in the morning, sir,
16:15with your headlights on, what, if anything, did you see on the front lawn in the area of the flagpole?
16:23I saw nothing.
16:25Did you see a body?
16:27No.
16:29He confirmed that he went by that property and there was no body there at 2.30 in the morning.
16:34And if there was no body there at 2.30 in the morning, the case is over.
16:40The people who support Karen Reed, especially the ones outside of the trial,
16:44told us that they really believe that Lucky's story proved the theory
16:48that John O'Keefe's body was not out on the front lawn that night
16:51when all those people were leaving that party.
16:55I don't know what to make of him.
16:57He seemed like such a sweet, nice man.
17:00But it also became a little clear that his story had probably changed a bit over time.
17:07But then by the time he was testifying at trial, he was rock solid.
17:10This time I was here. This time I was here. This time I was here.
17:13I did not see a body on that lawn. Not changing my story. That's that.
17:17Prepped for trial.
17:20And unwavering.
17:22Lucky friggin' hit it out of the park.
17:24In terms of how Lucky held up, that was at the top of my expectations.
17:29I gotta tell you, that guy won't be able to buy a drink in this town for the next six months.
17:34Right.
17:35He is a local hero.
17:43The war room, um, it is getting kind of depressing.
17:48I mean, we've lived in this room for the last two months.
17:51It's quite the disaster.
17:53We started with the war room.
17:55That got messy. We moved to the coffee shop.
17:57You guys are working on the closing presentation right now?
17:59Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
18:00I'm still taking the responsibility of filling in all the witness slides.
18:03I just haven't done it.
18:05Closing argument, in a case like this, it's a bear.
18:08When you have this much information, you have to eat that elephant one bite at a time.
18:12And the only way to do that is to pick it by sections.
18:15Preparing for today, I was reminded of a quote.
18:17It's a quote about truth.
18:19All his subheadings of his clothes, we put on flashcards.
18:22And then we laid them out to see what can we cut or reorganize
18:26to give Alan less words that he has to deliver.
18:29Handpick your investigator.
18:31Get rid of evidence. Get rid of your dog.
18:33Destroy your phones.
18:34Question witnesses together.
18:36Ensure that the homeowner, quote,
18:38never receives any shit because he's a cop.
18:41And most importantly, pin it on the girl.
18:44If you are savvy enough to present the facts,
18:48you don't have to bludgeon the jurors to death
18:51with your interpretation of the facts.
18:54I want them to say it in their mind before I say it with my mouth.
18:58I want them to come to that conclusion themselves.
19:00That's the power of a good closing.
19:03Do justice.
19:04Find Karen Reed not guilty.
19:07Excellent.
19:08Find Karen Reed not guilty.
19:10Excellent.
19:11You've got a minute and a half to spare.
19:13Boom!
19:15Pin drop.
19:16Under an hour.
19:17You changed, you tweaked a couple things that I liked.
19:19It's f***ing great, Alan.
19:21That is an amazing piece of rhetoric.
19:23You're ready.
19:24Okay, good.
19:30Today is posing arguments.
19:33And the last day that I'll be in court...
19:38Like, there's no more what's next, what witness is next,
19:40what are you going to ask them?
19:42I'm glad that part's over.
19:46I had this weird feeling when I was getting up this morning,
19:49which I've been up since, like, one,
19:51that I don't know where I'm sleeping tonight.
19:54I could be alone and in prison.
19:57It just feels really like I'm in...
20:01a weird dream.
20:09This morning, closing arguments are set to begin
20:11in the trial of Karen Reed,
20:13the woman accused of killing her boyfriend,
20:15Boston police officer John O'Keefe.
20:18The jury is going to have several options to choose from
20:21when they deliberate.
20:23She's been charged with second-degree murder.
20:25She's been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
20:28She's been charged with motor-vehicular manslaughter
20:31while intoxicated.
20:33She's been charged with second-degree murder.
20:35She's been charged with motor-vehicular manslaughter
20:37while intoxicated.
20:39And I believe, as a lesser-included offense,
20:41she could be charged with driving under the influence.
20:45I think on closing arguments,
20:46we counted over 300 people out there that day,
20:49all there for Karen Reed.
20:52It's justice day!
20:54Yes, Karen Reed!
20:56Close the day.
20:57Yeah, we're gonna go, whoo!
20:59So now we're at the point of the trial
21:01where the lawyers get to do their closing arguments for you.
21:04I've given them each an hour to do so,
21:06and they both tell me that they want me to give a five-minute warning.
21:10So we will hear now from Mr. Jackson.
21:13Thank you, Your Honor.
21:18Look the other way.
21:20Look the other way.
21:21Four words that sum up the Commonwealth's entire case.
21:25Four words that sum up the hopes of those
21:29who have tried to deceive you.
21:32Conflicts of interest? Doesn't matter.
21:34Just look the other way.
21:35Late-night calls and Google searches,
21:37falsified affidavits?
21:38Just look the other way.
21:41Alan Jackson's closing was memorable.
21:43He is a phenomenal courtroom performer, storyteller,
21:47which is part of the job of being an attorney,
21:49especially a defense attorney.
21:51Commonwealth cannot explain John O'Keefe's injuries.
21:53They can't explain his head wound.
21:55They cannot, and haven't even tried,
21:58to explain the lack of injuries on John's body
22:01from the neck down.
22:05Ladies and gentlemen, Karen Reed is innocent.
22:09Do justice, and find her not guilty.
22:14It was effective and artistic,
22:17and I thought it was vintage Alan Jackson.
22:19I hit him, I hit him, I hit him, I hit him.
22:23We heard testimony from four different witnesses
22:26who overheard and observed those statements from the defendant.
22:30On January 29th, 2022.
22:32Adam Lally is not the orator that Alan Jackson is.
22:36There was a lot of information,
22:37and he wasn't really that dynamic.
22:3912-17-56, the defendant drives by the temple.
22:42That's a Abraham video.
22:43Again, you can see that on the video.
22:45Mr. Lally, five minutes.
22:47Yes, Your Honor.
22:48And you could see the jurors losing interest a little bit.
22:51One gentleman just kept holding his head
22:53in his hand the entire time.
22:55To the microscopic pieces, 1 16th of an inch by 1 16th.
22:59You have one minute, Mr. Lally.
23:01Wrap it up.
23:02Yes, Your Honor.
23:04The defendant drove her vehicle in reverse,
23:07struck Mr. O'Brien, causing those catastrophic head injuries,
23:11leaving him incapacitated and freezing to death.
23:14Mr. Lally, I have to stop you.
23:16You've gone over.
23:19I literally have one sentence.
23:21One sentence I'll give you.
23:23From that fax and that evidence,
23:26I would submit intellectually demonstrates her guilt
23:28on each of the indictments before you,
23:30and I would ask that you find it, sir.
23:33All right.
23:34The insult of it all is Adam Lally ran out of time
23:38and the judge stopped him.
23:40Now, I don't know what he's going to say at the end,
23:42but I know that if you're making a compelling argument,
23:45you want to make sure the last thing you say
23:47is what sticks with the person or people you're talking to.
23:51So sadly, Adam Lally didn't get that.
23:54Jurors, I have my instructions on who you are.
23:56I'm going to give you...
23:58The makeup of the jury now is six women, six men,
24:01and we're just looking forward to finding out
24:04and hopefully getting that not guilty verdict.
24:07We as a team expect the deliberations will be fast,
24:10I think, in a few hours.
24:12If it goes longer, I think they're going to worry a little bit
24:15just that it could be a hung jury.
24:17All that we can expect from you is that you decide the case
24:20with integrity and with principle.
24:22To get a conviction, the prosecution needs 12 jurors to agree.
24:27To get an acquittal, we need 12 jurors to agree.
24:31So if it's a hung jury, then it's a mistrial,
24:35and my client's technically still in jeopardy.
24:39You may now retire and deliberate your verdict.
24:44Free Gary Vee! Free Gary Vee!
24:48I'm prepared to not be sleeping much from here on out.
24:51The hardest part will be when we have to stand up and hear the verdict.
24:56I knew this day was coming forever, I mean, for two and a half years,
25:01but it's really the end of one long chapter.
25:05We're done with the lawyering. Now it's the waiting.
25:08And now it's the time for us to hope that this jury
25:11comes back quickly and justly.
25:13When the jury comes back, the clerk of the court
25:16will typically contact us, and we'll be waiting on pins and needles
25:19to race back to the courthouse.
25:22I feel like it's going to be, you know, if not today, tomorrow for the verdict.
25:26I mean, in the perfect world, we were thinking,
25:29all right, closing arguments, we'll hear by the end of today.
25:33I know that supporters are hoping for a resolution today,
25:37but you never can tell.
25:39You never know what 12 random strangers are thinking.
25:50I think today is going to be the last day of this trial,
25:53and we're going to get a verdict.
25:56I just keep going back to the evidence.
26:00I cannot imagine a circumstance in which 12 jurors
26:03would ever say in this case, she's guilty of anything.
26:08We're going to get a verdict.
26:10We're going to get a verdict.
26:13We're going to get a verdict.
26:16She's guilty of anything.
26:22No.
26:36Is there a verdict now?
26:39Did you see why she was called back?
26:41No, we don't know why.
26:43We're going to get a verdict for the correct verdict.
26:46We just learned that the jurors asked their first question.
26:49They asked for that search, search report.
26:52The judge said that they have all the evidence that they're going to get,
26:55and she's not going to be giving them any additional evidence right now.
27:00If we had to speculate as to what they're looking for,
27:02they're probably looking for some clarification
27:04as to the time the first piece of taillight was found.
27:07So that's good.
27:09That means if they're talking about that, they've made it through January 29th,
27:12the evening of January 29th, I hope.
27:14They're up here.
27:17I know I told them.
27:21We got this. We totally got this.
27:25It's like this stuff that goes through your mind.
27:27It's like, should I go to the bathroom?
27:29Because if I'm handcuffed, like, I'm not going to be able to go to the bathroom.
27:33I haven't hugged my dad today.
27:35It's not going to happen.
27:37Karen, I was talking about that.
27:38It's not going to happen.
27:39That it took until now for you to break down like that.
27:43I mean, it just speaks to your incredible strength.
27:46It's not going to happen.
27:47It's weird.
27:49I know, but even with a 5% chance, it's enough to be like,
27:52shit, I'm not really prepared for this.
27:54I'm not, like, physically.
27:55I'm mentally, but not, like, physically.
27:58Okay, let's take a beat.
28:00That was a, what is known in the industry as a false start.
28:04Same as yesterday.
28:18Please stay in the building until 10 o'clock.
28:20Be back here at 3.30.
28:22Okay.
28:23All rise to the court, please.
28:24I brought work with me yesterday,
28:27thinking that maybe while the jury was out,
28:30I'd be able to return some phone calls
28:32or balance my checkbook or do something productive.
28:36And it was clear to me that was not going to happen.
28:40I can't concentrate on anything else.
28:44No one really knows how long this is going to go on.
28:47These Karen Reed supporters really were hoping for a very quick verdict.
28:52Their hope for a not guilty verdict is waning.
28:56Deliberations continue this morning.
28:58Day four in this trial, the killer-recover-up-murder trial.
29:03The longer it goes on, you know,
29:05if it were to go on for days and days and days,
29:07then obviously then there's disagreement in the deliberation room.
29:11And that's, it's normal, but it's also somewhat concerning
29:15because I'm looking for a faster, quicker verdict.
29:21All right.
29:22So, counsel, you're aware of our note from the jury.
29:27Dear Judge Canone,
29:28I am writing to inform you on behalf of the jury
29:31that despite our exhaustive review of the evidence
29:35and our diligent consideration of all disputed evidence,
29:39we have been unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
29:43And I would like to ask you,
29:45despite our diligent consideration of all disputed evidence,
29:48we have been unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
29:52Signed by the foreperson.
29:54This is our fourth day of deliberations.
29:56I'm not prepared to find that there have been
29:59due and thorough deliberations at this point.
30:02So the jury came in reporting to the court that they are deadlocked.
30:07The foreman used pretty strong language
30:10They had, you know, gone through an exhaustive review of the evidence
30:15and they cannot reach a consensus.
30:17The jurors looked frustrated.
30:19I mean, I've been staring at these people for, I don't know,
30:21eight, nine, ten weeks.
30:23I just don't know what more we can do.
30:25I just want to go home and eat dinner and, you know, have a drink.
30:31During deliberation, we found out that the jurors
30:35could hear chanting, yelling and screaming from that side of the building.
30:39And that enraged me.
30:42You cannot have a deliberating jury hearing chanting
30:45from a block away as they're trying to make their decision.
30:49Unfair.
30:51I will now ask you, Mr. Foreman and members of the jury,
30:54to return to your deliberations.
30:56I think if the jury had bought the conspiracy theory,
31:02I think we would have probably heard from them very quickly.
31:05But I think as the days went on, you know,
31:08the juries are actually looking at the different pieces of evidence
31:11and my thought was, OK, this is not looking good for a complete acquittal.
31:17After four days of deliberating in the killer or cover-up
31:20murder trial of Karen Reed, still no verdict.
31:23The jury was deadlocked at noon today,
31:25but the judge ordered them to keep going.
31:27They could either reach a verdict
31:29or if they tell the judge again that they're deadlocked,
31:32she would give them a special instruction
31:34to encourage them to reach a verdict.
31:38It's starting to feel more and more each day
31:40that this is going to be a hung jury is what it feels like.
31:44After ten weeks, what more do they have to go through?
31:47What are they unearthing?
31:50So that's where my mind is right now as far as a jury goes.
32:03Remember when we were talking about timing and such?
32:06I remember specifically saying if someone said something about July,
32:10and I remember thinking, if this thing goes to July,
32:14we're just all going to shoot ourselves.
32:16Yeah.
32:17And here we are.
32:26Today is going to be a big day.
32:28Many people here at the courthouse, the buzz is that today will be judgment day.
32:32I really can't overstate just how different today feels.
32:48I've known I've got to face this verdict this whole time.
32:51I just hope everybody can not pass out from the anxiety of it
32:55and, you know, my parents will be okay.
32:58And if it's the worst-case scenario,
33:00I'll have to keep fighting.
33:02Keep fighting.
33:29Thank you. Be seated. Closing session.
33:3122-117, Commonwealth versus Karen Reed.
33:34All right, the jury is at an impasse.
33:37So we'll bring them in.
33:41My anxiety is high.
33:43I'm trying to think positively about this jury,
33:46but my life is in their hands,
33:48and I just want to know what's happening to my life.
33:52Okay, everybody.
33:54They're bringing the jury in! They're bringing the jury in!
33:57They're bringing them! They're bringing them!
33:59They're bringing the jury in! Be quiet!
34:02All right, Mr. Foreman, I am in receipt of your note.
34:06Judge Canone, despite our rigorous efforts,
34:09we continue to find ourselves at an impasse.
34:12Our perspectives on the evidence are starkly divided.
34:16Some members of the jury firmly believe
34:18that the evidence surpasses the burden of proof,
34:21establishing the elements of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
34:25Conversely, others find the evidence fails to meet this standard
34:29and does not sufficiently establish the necessary elements of the charges.
34:34The deep division is not due to a lack of effort or diligence,
34:38but rather a sincere adherence
34:40to our individual principles and moral convictions.
34:44To continue to deliberate would be futile
34:47and only serve to force us to compromise these deeply held beliefs.
34:51I'm not going to do that to you folks.
34:54Your service is complete.
34:56I'm declaring a mistrial in this case.
35:05A mistrial! A mistrial!
35:12Free Kareem! Free Kareem!
35:1574 witnesses, over 600 pieces of evidence,
35:19all to end with no real closure for any participant in this case here.
35:24Karen Reed and her lawyers hugged her family
35:27before they exited court just briefly addressing reporters outside.
35:32Folks, this is what it looks like
35:34when you bring false charges against an innocent person.
35:37We will not stop fighting. We have no quit.
35:42Bye, everybody.
35:43Bye, everybody.
35:55I think the verdict took us all by surprise on how hard everyone took it.
35:59We always knew there was a fair potential for a mistrial,
36:04and a couple of us had a gut feeling that it might go that way.
36:07But it was like a real, we took a real hit. It was a real blow.
36:11First gut reaction is, the family's going to have to do this again.
36:16It's my first inclination, like, are they going to have to do this again?
36:21We don't think a mistrial is justice. I don't think anybody does.
36:26In our view, justice means that Karen not only walks out of the courtroom,
36:32but doesn't face any charges anymore.
36:35Yeah, did you see that Morrissey's office just announced they're going to retry it?
36:40Yeah, yeah. You feel good though, Dad? Mom feels good?
36:44I can't imagine what this is doing to my parents.
36:46You know, I just walked out of that courthouse halfway free.
36:51It's better than being in jail, but it's untenable.
36:55It's untenable for me and for my 75-year-old parents,
36:59and for everybody else who cares about me.
37:02It's really hard to mentally prepare for sort of a mistrial,
37:05because all the work that's gone in, you want the outcome to be something that's different.
37:11And here we are, right back at square one.
37:14But at the end of the day, we're really, really relieved that, you know,
37:18Karen's still with us. She's not in custody.
37:22And we're ready to fight another day.
37:31Part of me feels great. Part of me feels like shit.
37:35We were swinging so hard for the fences in this case
37:39that this home jury doesn't feel like a victory.
37:43It's a success, but it's not a victory.
37:47A victory will be an acquittal.
37:51That wasn't bullshit, what David and I said on the courthouse steps.
37:55They can do their worst. F***ing bring it.
37:58You're never going to get a conviction against this person.
38:02I'm not disappointed. I know you think I am. I am not.
38:06I'm just, my head's just kind of spinning.
38:08I get it. I get it.
38:09But for three months I've lived, like, in this hell,
38:13and it's only that you guys have been here that it's tolerable.
38:17Like, really, I don't even want to see you guys go, but...
38:23I'm not ever disappointed, and I'm just so grateful.
38:26You guys, you've always been...
38:28This routine I've had, as miserable as it's been,
38:31and it's been like living in purgatory,
38:33but I've taken this odd comfort in surrounding myself with this case,
38:41and I feel like I'm always fighting,
38:43and it's helped get me through this, and now I'm losing that.
38:48It's just the weirdest feeling.
38:50Yeah, absolutely. I have nowhere to hate.
38:54I've been with her since day one.
38:57With my, you know, belief in Karen's innocence,
39:01I anticipate and expect that not only was I there on day one,
39:07but I will be there on the final day,
39:09when this case is ultimately resolved.
39:15I don't think we're ever going to know for sure what happened that night.
39:19I think that if we see the charges remain the same,
39:22with murder and manslaughter being the most important,
39:26this wound that is in Canton will continue to ooze and not heal in any way
39:33as all of this is brought up again.
39:38The mistrial certainly did not make anybody want to back down,
39:41and it just feels like now all sides really think they have something to prove.
39:46We won't stop.
39:47After seeing what the O'Keeffe's have been through,
39:50I'm in it for the long haul,
39:52and I know Johnny would fight for justice for any of us,
39:56so we're going to do this as many times as we have to, as long as it takes.
40:03We've been told by the Norfolk D.A. in no uncertain terms
40:06that this case will be tried as many times as it takes to get justice,
40:10and we will continue to push forward
40:13until we get that.
40:15At some point, at some juncture,
40:17I feel everybody gets exactly what they deserve,
40:19and that's all I can hope for.
40:27So I just got back to my house
40:29after nearly three months of not being here,
40:32and it's just nice and quiet.
40:36I feel safe.
40:38It'd be a nice afternoon to just kind of kick off
40:41and just enjoy the quiet, but it's temporary.
40:44The state is still coming for me, as they announced,
40:47and we can take a minute, a reprieve,
40:51sit in the sun, jump in a lake,
40:53and then we're going to have to get back at it.
40:58The fight will continue.
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