CANTON – The residents of Canton are divided over the Karen Read Murder Trial and are beginning to wonder whether the trial will end without a unanimous decision, after a week of deliberations ended with the jury failing to reach a unanimous decision.
Canton divided
“I would hate to be on that jury. I mean, it’s so hard,” one Canton resident said anonymously.
The trial is the talk of the town, with supporters from both sides speaking out in busy side streets, in their homes and in supermarkets.
“Everyone is talking about it, that’s the topic no matter where you go or who you see. I do know there is a lot of division among people in the neighborhood,” said one neighbor.
“The city is definitely divided,” said another resident.
Jury without result
By Friday, the fourth day of deliberations, the jury had not yet reached a verdict.
“It is a reminder to the jury that they are in a unique position to reach a unanimous verdict. If they still cannot reach a unanimous verdict, the judge will declare a mistrial or what we colloquially call a hung jury, meaning a mistrial will occur. There is no guilty or not guilty finding against Karen Read, and she may be retried,” said legal analyst Jennifer Roman.
Throughout the week and during the trial, supporters of both sides camped outside the courthouse.
“I think our police have woken up the cities, and I think our officers are poorly trained,” said one neighbor.
Roman says that a decision is a verdict or a hung jury could come early Monday or Tuesday morning.
“I really think it will be a hung jury. The jury is a sample of the population of Norfolk County, and given the division among people in general, I think that will carry over into the jury,” Roman said.
