The current suspension of some MBTA Red Line service will be extended through Monday after an overnight incident involving track maintenance vehicles, the T announced Friday.
A construction vehicle hit another construction truck at about 12:3…
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Red Line suspension extended after collision involving track maintenance vehicles
Salem gym teacher accused of child exploitation pleads not guilty to grand jury indictment
A gym teacher in Salem, Massachusetts, arrested last month on allegations of child exploitation pleaded not guilty to a grand jury indictment Friday.
Darren Benedick was arraigned on child exploitation charges in Essex County Superior Court.
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Motion to dismiss denied: Review the full Karen Read ruling
Judge Beverly Cannone issued a highly-anticipated ruling Friday in the controversial Karen Read murder case, denying a defense motion to dismiss two of the charges, including second-degree murder.
The denial of the motion to dismiss means the case now remains on track for a second trial on Jan. 27, 2025.
You can read the full 21-page ruling below:
Read is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, during a snowstorm outside a Canton home in January 2022, though her team has maintained that she was framed.
She was charged with murder in the second degree, manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor and leaving a scene of personal injury and death.
After a mistrial was declared in Read’s first trial, her attorneys had filed a motion seeking to have two of her charges dismissed: second degree murder and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death. They said multiple jurors who were on the case now claim during deliberations the entire jury agreed Read was not guilty of either charge.
More Karen Read stories
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Judge denies Karen Read’s motion to dismiss 2 charges
The judge overseeing the Karen Read case has denied her motion to dismiss two of the charges against her.
Judge Beverly Cannone issued the ruling Friday, two weeks to the day after holding a hearing where she heard arguments from the defense team and prosecutors about dropping the charges.
“After careful consideration, this Court concludes that because the defendant was not acquitted of any charges and defense counsel consented to the Court’s declaration of a mistrial, double jeopardy is not implicated by retrial of the defendant,” Cannone wrote in her ruling. “The motion is therefore DENIED.”
Read’s next murder trial is set to begin in January.
You can read the full 21-page decision below:
Read the Karen Read ruling:
Read’s defense had said in moving to dismiss the pair of charges, including second-degree murder and leaving the scene of personal injury, that five jurors have come forward — three directly to them — and confirmed the jury was only unable to agree on the manslaughter charge. The defense argued that retrial on those two charges would violate double jeopardy protections because the jury had unanimously agreed to acquit Read on those charges.
The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting the Read case, released a statement Friday morning in response to Cannone’s ruling.
“We believe that the judge’s decision is consistent with almost 200 years of case law,” the statement said. “We are moving forward to trying this case January 27.”
Read is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, during a snowstorm outside a Canton home in January 2022, though her team has maintained that she was framed.
Her defense team filed the motion to dismiss a week after a mistrial was declared in the murder case, leaving unresolved a matter that has divided the community of Canton and attracted attention far beyond Massachusetts.
More Karen Read stories
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
Police searching for vehicle in Newburyport hit-and-run involving bicyclist
A vehicle hit a bicyclist earlier this week in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and then took off, police said, asking for the public’s help in finding the vehicle.
The incident occurred at about 4:43 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of Pond…
