Karen Read supporters so loud some in court couldn't hear verdict
Hundreds of Karen Read supporters erupted in cheers outside the courthouse in Dedham, Massachusetts after she was acquitted of the most serious charges in her retrial on Wednesday. Some inside the court could not hear the verdict being read.
In recent weeks, Read's supporters have started to make silent hand gestures, but when the verdict was announced, the crowd was so loud it could be heard inside the courtroom.
People watching on their phones let their voices be heard, chanting "Free Karen Read."
"We could not hear the clerk"
"Those chants were so loud, we actually could not hear the clerk, and the jurors get through the rest of the verdict, they had to repeat themselves," said WBZ-TV's Kristina Rex, who was inside the courtroom.
Rex estimated there was over 1,000 people outside the courthouse. She said there were no major disturbances and there were extra Massachusetts State Police troopers and Dedham police officers on the street.
A sea of Read's supporters wearing pink have crowded the sidewalks outside Norfolk County Superior Court during both of Read's high-profile trials. The crowds had been limited to what they could do inside a court-ordered buffer zone.
"Relief. Just relief," said Chrissy Mello, a Read supporter. "It's been a long fight, and I want her to get her life back and I want them to get the real killers for John (O'Keefe). I'm just happy it's over for her."
When Read walked outside, people threw pink confetti in celebration. She thanked her "amazing supporters" for emotional and financial support.
WBZ-TV's Penny Kmitt said some of Read's supporters gathered outside the courthouse as early as 4 a.m. during the trial that began on April 22.
"She could be any one of us"
One of the supporters, a woman named Caitlin, has been making daily TikTok videos about the trial. She spoke to Kmitt about why she thought the case was important.
"She's free. Karen Read could be any one of us," said Caitlin, who lives in Norfolk County. "She could be any one of us. The evidence was not there. The evidence wasn't there."
A jury cleared Read of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol, and leaving the scene of bodily injury and death in the death of her boyfriend John O'Keefe. She was found guilty only of operating under the influence of alcohol.
"I can't even express to you how it feels amazing on one end, and on the opposite end, we still need to figure out what happened to John at the end of the day," Caitlin said. "Karen didn't do it, now let's flip the script and say what happened to him."
