Were Karen Read’s unorthodox media interviews a next-level strategic move from her defense?

Maybe, according to one Massachusetts legal expert following the case.

Read, 45, is accused of killing boyfriend John O’Keefe, 46, in a drunken hit-and-run Jan. 29, 2022, outside a party in Canton, Massachusetts.

After her first trial, which ended with a deadlocked jury last year, she sat down with multiple reporters to tell her side of the story, a move many legal experts have called ill-advised. But it may have a payoff because jurors appear focused on a lesser charge that she may have admitted to on video.

Special prosecutor Hank Brennan subpoenaed the unedited source material from reporters and played a handful of clips in court in front of the jury.

In one, which appeared to be related to what jurors had questions about, Read discussed spiking her own drinks in the hours before O’Keefe’s death because she didn’t think the bartender was making them strong enough.

“The drinks that they were pouring me at McCarthy’s, which was where I consumed most of the alcohol, was the weakest vodka tonic,” she said. “It tasted just like all soda water with lime, not that I need it to be a martini, but it might have a splash of vodka in it.”

Officer John O’Keefe (Boston Police Department)

Jurors asked the judge four questions Tuesday, many of them focused on the OUI charge.

1. “What is the timeframe for the OUI charge? 12:45 or 5 a.m.?”
2. “Are video clips of Karen’s interviews evidence?”
3. “Does convicting guilty on a subcharge, for example offense 2 No. 5, convict the overall charge?”
4. “If we find not guilty on two charges but can’t agree on one charge, is it a hung jury on all three charges or just one charge?”

Jurors failed to reach a verdict by the end of the day Tuesday. Deliberations resume Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. ET.

“I still think it’s good for her right now,” Rice told Fox News Digital. “Reading between the lines, I think they can’t find the intent needed for two counts and are trying to figure out the reckless component.” 

Read faces up to life in prison if convicted on the most serious charge of second-degree murder. Some of the OUI-related charges also carry multi-year penalties, Edwards said.