Anxious Karen Read supporters surprised no verdict has been reached

DEDHAM - Karen Read's supporters have been outside Norfolk Superior Court throughout the entire trial, with many more gathering during deliberations this week.

On Thursday, the signs, the pink, and the lawn chairs were still there, but the mood was more mellow from her supporters. The jury has been deliberating since Tuesday afternoon. Many thought a verdict would be in the books by now.

"Trying to stay hopeful"

"Anxious," said Kevin Colby, a Read supporter. "We want to see a verdict and like most of us surprised why it's taking so long."

Read is charged with second-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe in 2022. Her defense attorneys say Read is the victim of an elaborate cover-up .

"I'm trying to stay hopeful but getting a little nervous because to me it's like cut and dry the decision to be made and so kind of confused on where the jury is kind of at and what they're still deliberating about," said Read supporter Emma Lowry.

But experts remind people that this is a complicated case , with the prosecution and defense presenting two very different versions of how O'Keefe died in January 2022 .

"You get a little nervous at that point, you're like something is going on and I'm not sure what that is, but I'm just staying positive and being hopeful that it will come out the way that we want it to come out," said supporter Mary Jean Beaumont.

Read greets supporters

In the meantime, Read took some time to greet supporters still standing behind her. From New York to Rhode Island and everywhere in between, about 150 of them camped out on Thursday. Many said they will keep coming back until the verdict comes.

"Clearly they're taking their time to go through different things and so forth, but we're confident out here," said supporter Kristin Economou.

The jury has deliberated for about 14 and a half hours. They will return to court on Friday at 9 a.m.