Karen Read supporters anxiously await verdict outside Dedham courthouse

DEDHAM - A sea of pink swarmed Karen Read with echoes of encouragement as she walked out of Norfolk Superior Court, her second-degree murder case now in the hands of the jury .

"And I wonder how many other people have gone through this," said Rita Lombardi, a Karen Read supporter. "I wonder!"

Their phones were out capturing every step of the defendant on the day six men and six women started deliberating Read's fate.

Read has had supporters outside the court throughout the trial, but the crowd grew considerably on Tuesday. According to WBZ-TV's Penny Kmitt, at least 250 people were outside the court Tuesday morning when Read arrived.

Her supporters have never bought the prosecution's case saying Read hit her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, with her SUV then left him in a snowbank to die. They believe the defense's case that she was framed by crooked cops.

"The not guilty verdict. I want to be right here for the celebration. I can't celebrate at home by myself," said Joanne Harrington. "I'm with everybody who have found Karen to be not guilty."

"Free Karen Read" signs, chants

The chants, the signs, the cars, even the umbrellas, all saying the same thing: "Free Karen Read." Supporters from all over the Bay State camped out, waiting for the verdict, however long it takes.

"We're just anxiously waiting the jury to come back and proclaim her innocence," said Catherine, a Read supporter.

Throughout the trial, supporters have been kept back from the courthouse by a "buffer zone" put in place in an effort to maintain an unbiased jury. The jury meets in a separate location and are bused to the courthouse.

"I support Karen Read but I really hope that this kind of thing expands out into other parts of the community," said Artemis Boynton.

Read's supporters say they will be back out near the courthouse early Wednesday morning as jurors continue deliberating.