Karen Read and her supporters are communicating with a hand gesture. Here's what it means.
The crowd of Karen Read supporters has grown in recent days outside Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts as jurors deliberate in the trial that has drawn national attention.
In recent weeks, Read's supporters have started making silent hand gestures to her instead of cheering when she enters and exits the courthouse.
Karen Read's hand gesture
They hold up one hand with their pointer, pinky finger, and thumb extended — the American Sign Language sign for "I love you."
Read and her attorneys respond with the same gesture.
With ever-changing court orders about what kind of protest is permissible inside the court-ordered buffer zone, Read's team asked her supporters to use hand gestures as a form of silent protest instead of chanting.
Defense attorney Alan Jackson has repeatedly "shushed" fans when they cheer and instructed them to make the "I love you" hand gesture instead.
Prosecutors say Read hit and killed Boston police officer John O'Keefe, with her SUV in 2022 after a night of drinking. Read and O'Keefe were dating, but prosecutors attempted to show during Read's first trial and subsequent retrial that their relationship had deteriorated. Read's defense says several people, including law enforcement, are framing her.
Karen Read's father on supporters
Outside of court on Wednesday, Karen Read's father William Read, spoke about the support from supporters who have regularly held signs and worn shirts calling to "Free Karen Read."
"All of these folks here, hundreds and hundreds of supporters. It's all about fighting back. It's about the corruption that has put us in this position," William Read said. "Women who see Karen as a symbol of strength and courage. Perhaps in their lives, they too have been dehumanized or objectified or the victim of some type of abuse. It's all very heartwarming."
Wednesday marked the fourth day of jury deliberations on charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene where there has been personal injury and death.
