Karen Read's murder trial took an unexpected turn on Monday as the Massachusetts State Trooper who led the investigation into her then-boyfriend's death was forced to read his text messages disparaging the suspect.
In the messages, Lt. Michael Proctor called Read, 44, a 'whack job' and a 'c**t' and referred to her as a 'babe' with 'no a**,' while also making light of her 'Fall River accent.'
In other messages, he joked about rummaging through her phone for nude photos during the investigation.
Read's defense attorneys claim these texts support their theory that she was framed by police in a vast conspiracy to blame her for her boyfriend John O'Keefe's death in January 2022.
But Proctor claimed that 'these juvenile, unprofessional comments had zero impact on the facts, the evidence and the integrity of the investigation.'
Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor took the stand in Karen Read's murder trial on Monday
Proctor called Read, 44, a 'whack job' and a 'c**t' and referred to her as a 'babe' with 'no a**,' text messages read in court reveal
O'Keefe, 46, was found unconscious in a snowbank with skull fractures, swollen eyes and hypothermia at around 6am on January 29, 2022, outside a house where she dropped him off for an afterparty around 12.45am.
He was then taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton where he was pronounced dead several hours later.
Police have since alleged that Read hit O'Keefe, a 16-year Boston cop, with her SUV and left him to die after a night of bar-hopping and heavy drinking.
The two had gone out to celebrate the acceptance of his niece into private school, and footage from one of the bars, CR McCarthy's in Boston, showed her embracing O'Keefe - hugging and kissing the man she is accused of killing just hours later.
But prosecutors claim Read and O'Keefe's relationship had been on the rocks amid allegations he was cheating and tensions over the two children in O'Keefe's care - his orphaned niece and nephew.
John O'Keefe, a 16-year Boston cop, was found dead around 6am on January 29, 2022, outside a house where she dropped him off for an afterparty around 12.45am
Prosecutors have claimed Read and O'Keefe's relationship was on the rocks
They allege fragments from her car were found near O'Keefe's body and are proof that Read backed her SUV into O'Keefe
Prosecutors have also claimed that witnesses at the scene heard Read yell 'I hit him!' when she and two friends found his body, along with 'this is my fault. I did this.'
Read's defense, however, was able to get cops to acknowledge they never actually heard her say she hit O'Keefe.
Defense attorneys further refuted the idea there was trouble with the relationship, with O'Keefe's friends at the bar testifying that the couple seemed content that night.
Chilling footage showing a glamorous accused killer Karen Read in a Boston bar on the night she allegedly killed her cop boyfriend has been shown in court
Instead, they claim O'Keefe was beaten up by people at the party and thrown outside where he died on the lawn.
They argue that the police did not then properly investigate O'Keefe's death, and have singled out Proctor for his close relationship with a number of law enforcement connected to the case - including homeowner Brian Albert.
In fact, in one of the text messages read in Norfolk Superior Court, Proctor replied to someone inquiring whether Albert would receive any repercussions by saying, 'Nope, homeowner is a Boston cop, too.'
After Read was charged with O'Keefe's murder, Proctor's sister also texted him to inform him that Albert wanted to buy him a gift.
But Proctor testified that neither he nor his wife received any gifts from Albert or his wife, a friend of Proctor's sister.
Defense attorneys claim O'Keefe was beaten up at the party and thrown outside
Other messages reveal that Proctor texted friends that there will 'be some serious charges brought on the girl,' referring to Read.
He claimed in the messages that Read 'waffled him' and that 'she hit him with her car,' according to the Boston Globe.
'We're going to lock this whack job up,' he said in one of the messages.
On the stand, Proctor repeatedly apologized for the text messages, calling it 'poor language' that had 'no bearing' on the investigation.
Meanwhile, the lieutenant is also facing an internal investigation over a 'potential violation of department policy,' Inside Edition reports.
Proctor opens an evidence box to show the jury a broken tail light while testifying
It is unclear whether the internal investigation is related to the Karen Read case, but lead defense attorney Alan Jackson has suggested it may be related to a text message he sent to his family about having Albert's wife babysit for his young child.
'We should all let that sink in for a second - there's a level of closeness that cannot be overstated,' said Jackson, who successfully got actor Kevin Spacey's acquitted of child sex abuse.
'Michael Proctor is so connected to the Alberts that he was entrusting, and willing to entrust, the Alberts to be caregivers for his toddler child.'
Proctor's attorney, Michael DiStefano, though, said he 'remains steadfast in the integrity of the work he performed investigating the death of Mr. John O'Keefe.'
Testimony in Read's trial is expected to resume on Wednesday.
