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<v Speaker 1>This is WBZY, Boston's news radio, redefining local.

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<v Speaker 2>News seventy five degrees in Boston. It is four o'clock.

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<v Speaker 2>Good afternoon. I'm Nicole Davis. Here's what's happening. A massive

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<v Speaker 2>legal victory for Karen Reid. She was acquitted on several

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<v Speaker 2>charges today, including second degree murder, manslaughter while drunk, and

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<v Speaker 2>leaving the scene of a crime resulting in death. Of course,

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<v Speaker 2>all this connected to the death of John O'Keefe. She

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<v Speaker 2>was sentenced to one year probation for OUI WBC's and

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<v Speaker 2>the Friedman is back with us with the very latest Emma.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, Nicole. Karen Reid, her defense team and her dad

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<v Speaker 3>walked out of court after she was acquitted of some

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<v Speaker 3>of the most severe charges against her, not most, actually

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<v Speaker 3>all of the severe charges against her. She just spoke

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<v Speaker 3>to a huge crowd of supporters, many dressed in pink,

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<v Speaker 3>outside Norfolk Superior Cordon Detam. Thank you, Rice a Quarters.

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<v Speaker 3>They pulled this through on their backs, thank you. Many

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<v Speaker 3>of the supporters were doing that sign language sign for

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<v Speaker 3>I love you while she walked out. Kind of looks

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<v Speaker 3>like that rock and roll sign a little different though

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<v Speaker 3>she's been doing it a lot recently as she walks

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<v Speaker 3>to and from the courthouse during the eight weeks of testimony,

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<v Speaker 3>doing it to all of her supporters out there and

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<v Speaker 3>them doing it back. It's kind of become a sign

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<v Speaker 3>on the internet. You see it everywhere.

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<v Speaker 1>Now.

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<v Speaker 3>Today really has been a rollercoaster of emotions. Though everybody

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<v Speaker 3>was called into court after jurors said they had a verdict,

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<v Speaker 3>then they went back on that, as we saw just

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<v Speaker 3>a few minutes later, everybody called back again. I mean,

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<v Speaker 3>it's been really a crazy day and read and her

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<v Speaker 3>defense seemed more visibly very emotional. I know you saw that, sure, Yeah,

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<v Speaker 3>Like I think even David Yanetti, I believe there were

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<v Speaker 3>tears in his eyes.

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<v Speaker 2>I think I saw some too, And you know, she

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<v Speaker 2>was hugging everybody, and you can imagine. I mean, this

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<v Speaker 2>has been going on for three years now, at this point,

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<v Speaker 2>more than three years. So it's a resolution not everybody

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<v Speaker 2>will be happy with, but for the Red Team for sure.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah. Absolutely. I mean Karen Reid, like she came out

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<v Speaker 3>victorious in this. She was not convicted of you know,

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<v Speaker 3>second degree murder and that, but you know, the real

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<v Speaker 3>victim in this, obviously, John O'Keefe, her boyfriend, Boston police

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<v Speaker 3>officer who was found dead in the snow and Canton

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<v Speaker 3>in twenty twenty two January twenty ninth. They're not Blizzard,

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<v Speaker 3>so you know, it's there's definitely like there's all the

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<v Speaker 3>supporters out there cheering, but there is very sad undertones

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<v Speaker 3>throughout this whole day. I mean, the whole thing is

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<v Speaker 3>all about John O'Keefe, right, So it's it's been a

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<v Speaker 3>crazy day, very emotional day as well. I mean it's

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<v Speaker 3>caught so many people's attention.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, around the globe. I mean people have been following

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<v Speaker 2>this everywhere, and the internet presence has been really something.

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<v Speaker 3>Oh my gosh, everybody seems to know about it. Everyone's mom,

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<v Speaker 3>everyone's aunt, everybody has been talking about.

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<v Speaker 2>The text messages I've been getting. Yeah, there's quite a few.

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<v Speaker 2>Emma Friedman, thank you so much for all your work

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<v Speaker 2>fallowing this case. We have a heat advisory up four

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<v Speaker 2>parts of the day tomorrow because many of us will

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<v Speaker 2>be seeing temperatures pushing ninety and if that wasn't uncomfortable

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<v Speaker 2>enough for some, the humidity level is going to feel

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<v Speaker 2>pretty tropical, so keep that in mind. Tonight it's already

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<v Speaker 2>pretty muggy. You might want to run the ac tonight

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<v Speaker 2>when you're sleeping. We have a low in the mid

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<v Speaker 2>sixties for tomorrow, again hot and humid. We'll have some

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<v Speaker 2>thunderstorms late in the afternoon with a high near ninety

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<v Speaker 2>clearing out tomorrow night with a low in the mid

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<v Speaker 2>upper sixties. Right now, seventy four in Wareham, seventy one

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<v Speaker 2>in Auburn, seventy five in Lowell. In Boston at four

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<v Speaker 2>oh six, it is overcast and seventy six degrees. Okay,

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<v Speaker 2>Right back to our breaking news. Karen Reid acquitted of

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<v Speaker 2>the most serious charges she was facing in the death

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<v Speaker 2>of John o'keith. WBC's Madison Rodgers in the studio with me, now, Madison,

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<v Speaker 2>what's going on here?

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<v Speaker 4>Good afternoon, Nicole. Well, it's been two long trials and

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<v Speaker 4>nearly three and a half years now with Karen Reid

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<v Speaker 4>found not guilty of murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene

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<v Speaker 4>This afternoon in the death of her boyfriend Boston police

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<v Speaker 4>officer John O'Keefe. Jurors announced the verdict, which included one

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<v Speaker 4>guilty charge, operating under the influence. We heard from legal

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<v Speaker 4>analyst Phil Tracy, a veteran local lawyer and former Suffolk

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<v Speaker 4>County prosecutor.

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<v Speaker 1>In this case, reasonable dove played a big factor because

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<v Speaker 1>jurors might have said, well, I think she was mad

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<v Speaker 1>and hit him by accident or whatever. But nevertheless they

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<v Speaker 1>say that there's too much doubted you.

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<v Speaker 4>Red has been sentenced to one year probation, which Tracy

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<v Speaker 4>calls very light under the circumstances. He thought the Commonwealth

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<v Speaker 4>might have pushed for harsher than usual punishment. But this

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<v Speaker 4>isn't over yet.

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<v Speaker 1>The civil case by the o'kay family is now strengthened

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<v Speaker 1>in the sense that she's been found guilty of offerating

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<v Speaker 1>onto the influence. And again the burden of proof is

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<v Speaker 1>so different for the civil case. It's preponderance of the evidence,

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<v Speaker 1>more evidence than less evident.

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<v Speaker 4>He also stressed how hard this is for O'Keeffe's family.

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<v Speaker 4>Reid is celebrating and told a crowd of supporters that

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<v Speaker 4>no one's fought harder for justice for John O'Keeffe than

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<v Speaker 4>me and my team. Back to Unicol.

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<v Speaker 2>All right, thanks so much, Madison, And you know, when

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<v Speaker 2>it comes to the trial, it took quite a bit

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<v Speaker 2>of money to put all this on wbz's Hile Shaffle takes.

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<v Speaker 5>A closer look. Denham has played host to the high

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<v Speaker 5>drama of the Karen Reed trial for years now, and

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<v Speaker 5>now we're getting a sense of the final tab. Barricades

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<v Speaker 5>have been up everywhere, all on High Street and Debdham

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<v Speaker 5>where Norfolk Superior Court sits, trying to keep protesters out

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<v Speaker 5>of the way of traffic. The town also installed permanent

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<v Speaker 5>buffer zone road signs at every corner of the court

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<v Speaker 5>ordered buffer zone. On top of that, Deadham police officers

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<v Speaker 5>have been on patrol around the court making sure nothing

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<v Speaker 5>gets out of hand. And all that costs money. The

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<v Speaker 5>town of Deadham tells WBZ News Radio that the police

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<v Speaker 5>and public works efforts this here cost over one hundred grand,

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<v Speaker 5>which is more than many town employees here making a year.

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<v Speaker 5>We've asked State Police for their numbers. They're still tallying

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<v Speaker 5>the trial costs for this year, but last year's trial

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<v Speaker 5>costs more than two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in

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<v Speaker 5>taxpayer money. Hyle Shaffle, WBZ Boston's News Radio.

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<v Speaker 2>So again a recap here. Karen Reid found not guilty

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<v Speaker 2>of murder in the second degree in the death of

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<v Speaker 2>John O'Keefe. She was found not guilty of manslaughter while

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<v Speaker 2>operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor. She

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<v Speaker 2>was found guilty on a lesser charge of OUI, and

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<v Speaker 2>she was also acquitted on leaving the scene of an

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<v Speaker 2>accident resulting in death.