VERDICT WATCH MA - Professor Karen Read, 43, charged with murdering police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe by hitting him with car, Canton, 14 Apr 2023 #13

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I have to agree with AJ that for clarity’s sake it would be simpler to include a Not Guilty line on the slip. Sometimes people tend to read multiple-choice answer choices and assume they have to pick one of the options listed, in other words can’t have any blanks, because that it how it often is in school and taking standardized tests. Some jurors could get confused about how to demonstrate a NG verdict if they don’t see it as an option on the slip or think they misunderstood how the listed charges are defined or at first question if NG is even an option. Additional time would have to be spent explaining how to use the slips and to address anyone’s confusion whereas as a NG line could just help avoid all of that.

Also, our brains just tend to return to habit or patterns we are familiar with so people might approach the filling out of the slip the same way they did high school/college exams and not even be consciously aware of this for some time.

However, I guess if the instructions are clear or the jurors are well informed and reminded beforehand than everything tends to turn out fine. Generally though there could potentially be less confusion among the jurors or worry and concern on the part of the lawyers and the court about making sure jurors know how to fill in the slips appropriately if more courts implemented AJ’s suggestion in the future though.
 
nodamselindistress said:
Court TV just had Wendy Murphy on. She is an attorney in Mass. Of course she backed Judge Cannone. Said something along the lines of Alan Jackson needs to go back to Hollywood.
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Imo who cares what she says. She's looking the other way probably deliberately. The case is wide open for appeal but that doesn't concern her she just wants the clever sound bite. jmo
 
Is this jury really not going to deliberate about the lesser charges and just blindly check the guilty box?

JMO.
 
jepop said:
Imo who cares what she says. She's looking the other way probably deliberately. The case is wide open for appeal but that doesn't concern her she just wants the clever sound bite. jmo
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Judge Bev might as well be standing outside the pizza place in Canton with the rest of them. She brought this on herself. We see you, Judge Bev.

MOO
 
Judge Beverly Cannone had sharp words for Karen Read Wednesday after Read smiled and scoffed during a tense exchange between her lawyers and the judge.

As jury deliberations continued Wednesday morning, defense attorney Alan Jackson took issue with the verdict form, complaining there was no box for jurors to check “not guilty” on two lesser included charges of involuntary manslaughter or motor vehicle homicide. He pointed out that he previously raised concerns with the court Tuesday.

Cannone noted that she never agreed to make the changes. “I said I’d think about it,” she said. “I said I was tired and I needed to think about it.”

Following the judge’s comment, Read turned and shared a grin with her family and friends in the courtroom gallery.

www.boston.com

'This is funny, Ms. Read?': Judge admonishes Karen Read after brief argument with defense team

Karen Read smiled and scoffed during a tense exchange with the judge over the verdict form supplied to deliberating jurors.
www.boston.com
June 26, 2024 | 11:01 AM
 
nodamselindistress said:
Court TV just had Wendy Murphy on. She is an attorney in Mass. Of course she backed Judge Cannone. Said something along the lines of Alan Jackson needs to go back to Hollywood.
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I thought (granted IANAL), that lawyers are somewhat of a fraternity that tend not to talk ill nor disparaging of another lawyer or their conduct or courtroom actions.

How non professional conduct of Ms. Murphy if as reported IMO.

Perhaps Ms. Murphy should follow her own advice…… and head back to Hollywood? MOO
 
RANCH said:
Is this jury really not going to deliberate about the lesser charges and just blindly check the guilty box?

JMO.
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Probably not. But why use a confusing form when it would be so easy to change it to a less confusing one? Especially if it's true that a bad jury form is immediate grounds for appeal. Having a clear form serves the interest of justice.

"That's how it's always done in Massachusetts" is a pretty bad reason, IMO.
 
Live stream of trial at link:

Legal analysts NBC10 Boston spoke with say they expect a relatively quick verdict​


Shortly after deliberations resumed Wednesday morning, jurors sent a question to Judge Beverly Cannone. But it was not a question about the trial specifically. Rather, the jury asked if they could conclude deliberations around 4 p.m. due to one juror who had a "long-standing scheduling conflict." The judge had no problem granting that request.

Around 10 a.m., court reconvened without the jury present, and defense attorney Alan Jackson argued his case to Cannone that the verdict slip was inappropriate. He took issue with the fact that there was no box on the slip to check for not guilty.

www.nbcnewyork.com

Verdict watch continues in Karen Read trial: Live updates

Eyes across the nation are turning to Dedham, Massachusetts, as jurors decide the fate of Karen Read. The weeks-long trial is now in its final moments, with the possibility of a verdict being reached as early as Wednesday.
www.nbcnewyork.com www.nbcnewyork.com

Updated 8 mins ago​

 
ch_13 said:
Probably not. But why use a confusing form when it would be so easy to change it to a less confusing one? Especially if it's true that a bad jury form is immediate grounds for appeal. Having a clear form serves the interest of justice.

"That's how it's always done in Massachusetts" is a pretty bad reason, IMO.
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If it a standard verdict form in Massachusetts then it wont go far on an appeal. JMO.
 
ch_13 said:
But the biggest problem with this theory is that he didn't fall in the roadway, but on the lawn some 30' away. How did his body get there? All three doctors who testified about the head wounds agree: the blunt force trauma to his brain was incapacitating. He couldn't walk or crawl afterwards. (Are the MDs 'mythbusters' as well?) Plus his phone and drinking glass were also found on the lawn. How did they get there?
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This right here. I am strictly impartial when observing a case and I've done my best to try to imagine a scenario where KR caused those injuries. It's simply not possible.

My first theory the day I came across this case was that KR inadvertently bumped JOK as she was leaving, and he subsequently went into the house and said "Crazy b*tch tried to run me down out front", which gave the other party goers the perfect scapegoat after they beat him up.

The issue with that theory is that it now looks as if Karen was waiting outside for JOK for six or seven minutes before she gave up and went home, and I very much doubt that JOK was standing behind that Lexus all that time in a blizzard waiting to be run over.
 
kittythehare said:
when Yan said he had not seen verdict forms presented in this fashion she declared she disagreed .. with what Yan saw..
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I was questioning the same thing after I saw the video on X. How are you going to disagree with what another person says they do or do not see? It’s their perspective/experience.

Also, I don’t understand why she reacted to KR laughing. Isn’t KR a finance professor? She is probably familiar with how people, particularly students, tend to respond when filling out multiple-choice questions and how uncomfortable or wrong it may seem to leave a question or form with that structure blank. She probably with her lawyers that it would make usage of the slip easier if they just added a simple NG line.
 
The issue is just that at the top it says manslaughter while operating a vehicle under the influence - obviously a multi-faceted charge. Which it breaks down. Not too hard to add Not Guilty to each element/charge there.

I don’t think the jurors will get too confused on that, but I think it’s the principle, make the verdict form as clear and direct as possible.

Really can’t wait until jurors can go public and talk about this case.
 
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