Karen Read could be seen laughing and at one point rolling her eyes during the exchange between her lawyer Alan Jackson and Judge Beverly Cannone. "Excuse me, is this funny Miss Read?" asked Judge Cannone.
Tensions ran high in a Massachusetts courtroom on Wednesday as the judge overseeing the Karen Read trial admonished the murder suspect for laughing in court.
This happened after a terse exchange between Judge Beverly Cannone and Read's lawyer, Alan Jackson.
Jackson was in court voicing his objection to one of the jury forms in the case, which he said does not offer jurors the option of finding Read not guilty on the lesser charges suggested by the court.
The form in question offers jurors the option of convicting Read of involuntary manslaughter or motor vehicle homicide if they do not find her guilty of vehicular manslaughter while driving under the influence. The defense objects because there is only one not guilty box and three guilty boxes to check as seen below:
Judge Cannone then explained to Jackson that the forms used in the case were the standard forms used in the state of Massachusetts before then explaining to him how the jury would fill out the form should they find Read not guilty.
At that point, Jackson stated that if found guilty of that charge the defense would appeal.
"If they come back guilty on, for instance, involuntary manslaughter, that's immediately appealable. They didn't have an option on the jury form to find her not guilty," said Jackson.
He then said: "It is almost like the court is directing a verdict to the subordinate charges."
Read could be seen laughing and at one point rolling her eyes during the exchange between Jackson and Judge Cannone, and it is at this point that the judge finally addressed the defendant.
"Excuse me, is this funny, Miss Read?" said Judge Cannone.
She then paused for a moment and said: "Alright, we're done."
Arguments In the trial concluded on Tuesday after two months and 74 witnesses.
The jury is now busy deliberating Read's guilt on three charges: second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while driving under the influence, and leaving the scene of a collision causing injury or death. Read has entered a plea of not guilty to all three counts.
Jurors were in court for just two hours on Tuesday as they heard closing remarks from the prosecution and then the defense before being sent off to start their deliberations.
Prosecutors allege that Read, 44, drunkenly backed into boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, 46, with her car outside the home of Brian Albert and then fled the scene, leaving him for dead. The defense claims that O'Keefe was actually killed during a fight inside Albert's home and his body was then planted outside to frame Read in a cover-up involving Albert and multiple members of law enforcement. Albert has not been charged with any crime and testified that O'Keefe never entered his Canton home on the night in question.
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