The lead investigator in the Karen Read case, Trooper Michael Proctor, will be suspended without pay following an internal Massachusetts State Police hearing, officials announced Monday.
Read, 44, of Mansfield, was tried for second-degree murder, manslaughter and other charges related to the death of her boyfriend Boston cop John O’Keefe on Jan. 29, 2022. A mistrial was declared on July 1.
Proctor’s two-day testimony during the trial led lawyers to reveal personal texts in which the trooper used degrading and explicit language regarding the defendant, leading to widespread criticism of the investigator’s conduct and an internal review by the State Police. Proctor was placed on leave the day the mistrial was declared.
State Police officials called a virtual duty status hearing for Proctor on Monday morning, in which a board of three commissioned would determine whether the trooper would remain on full duty, be placed on restricted duty, be suspended with pay or be suspended without pay. Proctor had the opportunity to be represented by counsel and defend his actions during the hearing.
The board recommended Proctor be suspended without pay Monday morning, and Interim State Police Colonel John Mawn accepted the recommendation effective immediately, the department said.
Colonel Mawn said previously the State Police will need to be “in a continuous cycle of earning, maintaining public trust and legitimacy” following the highly publicized misconduct displayed at the trial and public outcry that followed.
The state is currently in the process of seeking a new colonel to take over the State Police. Following questions about the misconduct displayed in the Read trial and other scandals within the agency — including overtime abuse, drunken driving, bribery allegations — Gov. Maura Healey said the state is considering hiring an outside candidate for the position for “the first time ever” in June.
The State Police internal affairs investigation into Proctor remains ongoing, which may result in charges that would be adjudicated by a State Police Trial Board. It has not yet been made clear what Proctor may be charged with if allegations are determined to be sustained in the investigation.
Proctor was also first subject to internal review following a federal probe into the O’Keefe homicide investigation opened in March.
State Comptroller records show Proctor earned $184,397 in the last year.
Proctor was placed on leave following the declaration of a mistrial on July 1, which made him ineligible to work, and transferred out of the Detective Unit assigned to the Norfolk County DA’s Office effective on Sunday.
During the his testimony at the trial during June 10 and June 12, personal texts from Proctor revealed during the investigation he called Read a “whack job (expletive) and a “babe,” wrote “No nudes so far” to colleagues while searching her phone, and made explicit fun of her gastrointestinal issues, among other derogatory comments.
In one text to his sister he wrote, “Hopefully she kills herself,” according to evidence presented by the defense.
“These regrettable and unprofessional comments are not something I’m proud of and are not something I should have written in private or any other setting,” Proctor said during the trial on June 10, adding later that the comments “absolutely do not detract from the integrity of the investigations or the facts derived from it.”
During the trial the defense also discussed Proctor’s familiarity with the Canton Albert family, which is central the defense’s allegations that Read was framed by a conspiracy to protect the family after they killed O’Keefe.
