Karen Learn was cleared of homicide and manslaughter expenses Wednesday, as an enormous crowd of her supporters roared with applause outdoors of the courthouse in Dedham, Massachusetts. The jury discovered her responsible solely of working drunk.
Decide Beverly Cannone then sentenced Learn to at least one 12 months of probation after the decision was introduced.
Learn’s supporters have been so loud outdoors it was troublesome for some contained in the courtroom to listen to what was being mentioned when the long-awaited verdict was learn. There are greater than 1,000 folks outdoors the courthouse.Â
You may watch dwell protection from the courthouse on CBS Information Boston within the video above.
Learn was charged with second-degree homicide, manslaughter whereas working drunk, and leaving the scene of bodily damage and dying within the dying of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, in January 2022. She pleaded not responsible to the entire expenses.
The jury started deliberating late Friday afternoon and mentioned the case for about 90 minutes earlier than returning for extra deliberations Monday. The panel of seven ladies and 5 males had the case for about 20 hours whole.
Karen Learn jury verdict confusion
Reaching a verdict didn’t go easily. Simply after the lunch break Wednesday afternoon, the jury mentioned that they had reached a verdict, then adopted up minutes later saying they really had not. Decide Cannone despatched the jury again to proceed deliberating, however minutes later they declared that they had formally reached a verdict.
Throughout closing arguments Friday, prosecutor Hank Brennan mentioned Learn was driving drunk when she dropped O’Keefe off at a house in Canton, backed over him along with her SUV in a rage over their failing relationship and drove off, leaving him to die in a snowstorm.
Learn’s legal professional Alan Jackson informed the jury in his closing that there was no automotive crash and that O’Keefe was killed in a struggle inside the house and that risk was by no means investigated by the lead investigator, Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor. Proctor was fired for his conduct within the case. He was not known as to testify on this trial.
If Learn had been convicted of second-degree homicide, she confronted as much as life in jail, with the potential of parole.
Learn’s first trial resulted in July 2024 with a mistrial attributable to a deeply divided jury. They deliberated for 5 days in that trial.
Karen Learn retrial
The second trial started on April 22. The jury heard from 49 witness throughout 31 days of testimony earlier than getting the case on June 13. That they had entry to greater than 200 items of proof, together with the taillight from Learn’s SUV and John O’Keefe’s garments from the night time he died.
