What's next for Karen Read?
Karen Read turned and hugged her father and embraced her family after Judge Beverly Cannone declared a mistrial.
The 44-year-old financial analyst accused of killing her Boston cop boyfriend, John O'Keefe, walked out of the Dedham, Massachusetts, courthouse a free woman after two years.
The jubilation on Read's side of the courtroom was a stark contrast to O'Keefe's mom's tears, as family and friends rubbed her shoulders and tried to console her.
But the saga isn't over. "The Commonwealth intends to re-try the case," prosecutors said before a smiling Read and her lawyers were done speaking to her supporters and news outlets.
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The Massachusetts jury deliberated for nearly 26 hours and had been deadlocked for days.
They were "deeply divided" because of "deeply held convictions" and a "consensus is unattainable," according to the first of two notes to the presiding judge on Monday.
Cannone issued a controversial dynamite charge (or Allen charge), which is a last-resort option to force jurors to go continue deliberations and try to reach a unanimous verdict.
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The dynamite charge's "effectiveness in breaking deadlocks and securing verdicts is well-documented," according to a blog post by Texas-based law firm Varghese and Summersett.
But it's not used in about two dozen states, as opponents argue "it can lead to verdicts that are not truly unanimous, as jurors may change their votes due to peer pressure rather than genuine conviction," the firm said.
The result was the same. "Despite our commitment to the duty entrusted in us, we find ourselves deeply divided by fundamental differences in our opinions and state of mind," the jury wrote in its final note to the judge.
The jury sat for weeks during a trial that included 74 witnesses and nearly 700 pieces of evidence.
Prosecutors argued a shouting match turned deadly during a booze-infused fight in January 2022, when Read allegedly backed into O'Keefe with her SUV and left him to die during a nor'easter.
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His body was found on the front lawn of an influential family with deep ties to law enforcement and prosecutors. Read claimed that the family framed her for O'Keefe's death in an elaborate cover-up.
The deadlocked jury was as torn as the otherwise quiet Boston suburb of Canton. And the opposing jurors weren't backing down.
"Despite our commitment to the duty entrusted in us, we find ourselves deeply divided by fundamental differences in our opinions and state of mind," the jury said before Cannone declared a mistrial.
Since Read wasn't found guilty or not guilty, here's what could happen next, according to experts.
Read beat the charges of second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter while driving under the influence and leaving the scene of a collision causing injury and death because the jury couldn't come to a unanimous decision, not because they thought they believed she was innocent.
That puts the ball in the prosecutors' hands.
They can choose to end the two-year saga now.
The Norfolk County District Attorney's Office quickly fired off a statement that said it intends to retry the case.
And Read's lawyer, Alan Jackson, said, "We will not stop fighting."
That puts the two sides on another collision course, although experts pointed out pitfalls that could doom the DA's office again.
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Daniel Medwed, Northeastern University professor of law and criminal justice, believes the prosecution needs to bring more evidence, if this is the route they choose.
"I think they might talk a big game in the immediate aftermath about retrying her," Medwed told Northeastern Global News.
"But ultimately, unless new evidence emerges, I think it might be a tough hill to climb, and they might not pursue it."
There's also added layers of complication, with investigations into Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, whose sexist and vulgar texts may have destroyed the prosecution's case, as well as an ongoing audit of potential misconduct in the Canton Police Department.
"You know that trooper’s testimony really blew up in the commonwealth’s face," Suffolk Law professor Rosanna Cavallaro told NBC 10 Boston.
"If in fact he is suspended or any kind of consequence for his misconduct, then that’s going to make it really hard for the commonwealth to decide how to present their case."
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A possible way around some of the potential pitfalls of retrying Read for murder is to file different charges, law expert Shira Diner told Fox News Digital.
Diner is a lecturer and clinical instructor at Boston University School of Law and the president of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
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"(The prosecution) is entirely in control of the charges, so I think they could recharge in a different way," she said.
What those charges could be remains to be seen, if this is the route the prosecution takes.
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For now, the case is over. Read is free.
The two sides – along with their warring supporters – will retreat into their respective corners of the ring. The families will have to regroup.
The next court appearance is scheduled for July 22 for a conference.