Massachusetts Supreme Court Denies Karen Read’s Motion to Drop Charges in Officer’s Death

In a decisive ruling, the Massachusetts Supreme Court determined that Karen Read’s motion to drop charges in connection with the death of her police officer boyfriend will not be granted. Despite her defense's claims that she was being framed and that other officers were responsible, the court upheld the charges of second-degree murder and leaving the scene. Additionally, Read faces a manslaughter charge for allegedly operating under the influence at the time of the incident.

Following eight weeks of trial testimony which ended in a mistrial due to a deadlocked jury, the court found that the trial judge had exercised her discretion appropriately by declaring a mistrial. The decision noted that despite efforts to secure a partial verdict, the jury’s lengthy discussions and unanimous impasse on all charges justified the mistrial.

Read's defense had argued that some jurors, after the trial, suggested they would have acquitted her on two of the charges. However, the judges stated that such posttrial comments, which contradicted the jury's in-court discussions, could not retroactively change a mistrial's outcome. Now, with her retrial set for April 1, the legal process continues amid sharply divided perspectives on the evidence presented during her trial.