The day began with a delay due to the dismissal of a juror for personal reasons, reducing the jury to 14 members. Closing arguments were subsequently delayed as Judge Beverly Cannone addressed this issue privately with attorneys.

Prosecutor Adam Lally initiated his closing arguments by quoting statements attributed to Read: “I hit him, I hit him, I hit him,” which four witnesses claimed to have heard. Lally urged jurors to use their common sense and life experiences in evaluating the evidence, which he argued pointed to Read’s guilt.

Lally presented a timeline of events starting from communications between Read and O’Keefe on the morning of January 28, 2022. He detailed that Read consumed seven drinks within an hour and a half that evening and emphasized that her vehicle traveled at 24 miles per hour in reverse. Lally argued that Read’s actions and statements, such as a voicemail left for O’Keefe saying, “John I (expletive) hate you,” indicated a consciousness of guilt.

He highlighted the moment when Read allegedly found O’Keefe’s body covered in snow on January 29, 2022, and her decision to drive to her parents’ house instead of staying at O’Keefe’s home. Lally posited that Read’s behavior showed a motive linked to a perceived infidelity by O’Keefe, which prosecutors argued was a factor leading to his death.

Lally dismissed the defense’s claims of evidence planting and conspiracies involving law enforcement, stating that despite Trooper Michael Proctor’s “unprofessional” text messages, there was no impact on the integrity of the investigation.

Defense attorney Alan Jackson began his closing statements by accusing the state of lying to the jurors and presenting a narrative built on deception. “Look the other way,” Jackson asserted, summarizing what he believed to be the state’s strategy. He emphasized that the evidence did not support the prosecution’s theory that Read struck O’Keefe with her SUV.

Jackson pointed to inconsistencies and alleged misconduct by investigators, including Trooper Proctor, who he claimed manipulated evidence to fit a narrative. He argued that physical evidence, such as the lack of bruising or bone fractures consistent with a car-pedestrian crash, supported the defense’s case that Read did not hit O’Keefe.

Jackson also presented an alternative theory based on Apple Health data from O’Keefe’s phone and testimonies from defense experts, including accident reconstructionists who concluded that O’Keefe’s injuries were not caused by being struck by Read’s vehicle.

Judge Cannone provided jurors with instructions, emphasizing that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. She reminded the jury that the burden of proof lies with the state and that the arguments made by lawyers are not evidence.

Cannone explained that all 12 deliberating jurors must agree on whether the prosecution met this burden, and the evidence must convince them of Read’s guilt to a “reasonable and moral certainty.”
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