If you live in Massachusetts, you most likely heard the name Karen Read over the last few years. Read, 45, is accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend in January of 2022.

As of this writing, jurors are deliberating after her second murder/manslaughter trial has concluded in Norfolk County.

The judge declared a her first trial a mistrial because of a hung jury on July 1, 2024.

Read's first trial ended in a hung jury last year after jurors went more than 25 hours over four days without reaching an agreement. -foxnews.com

Can Karen Read Be Tried For A 3rd Time In Mass.?

There was a lot of talk on today's radio show on whether or not Karen Read would be freed if yet again the jurors couldn't come to an agreement. It's up to the prosecution.

After a hung jury, the prosecution decides whether to retry the case based on factors like the strength of evidence, resources, and public interest. Multiple hung juries may lead prosecutors to drop charges, especially if they believe a conviction is unlikely.

If there is another mistrial, then Read could be tried again. A defendant can be retried as many times as the government pleases, wrote Elijah Gelman in the Northwestern University Law Review. It would not violate the constitutional prohibition on “double jeopardy” because no verdict was reached. -yahoo.com

Massachusetts law does not set a specific limit on hung juries or retrials, but practical and judicial factors typically discourage excessive retries. Each case depends on its circumstances, and prosecutors may opt not to pursue further trials after multiple hung juries.

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Here's How Much The Mass. Karen Read Jurors Are Getting Paid

Do you get paid for jury duty in Massachusetts? Yes, and it does vary from state to state.

How much do you get paid for jury duty in Massachusetts?

Your employer legally must provide three days worth of pay while you're sitting on the jury, after that you will get paid $50 per day. 

No matter how high profile the case is, for example the Karen Read case, the pay is the same. Jurors may be eligible for reimbursement of certain expenses, such as travel costs, but specific details about expense reimbursements for the Read case are not publicly detailed.

Massachusetts says that, legally, employers cannot force their employees who are serving to use their sick or vacation time. Some employers will still pay even after the three days is past.

People who are unemployed can file for extra financial benefit for travel expenses.

To compare, California pays their jurors only $15.00 a day.