DEDHAM, Mass. (Court TV) — The lead investigator in the Karen Read case, who was removed from duty over damning texts, allegedly sent another profane text a few hours after a mistrial was declared.
Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor testifies during Karen Read’s trial, Wednesday, June 12, 2024 in Norfolk Super Court in Dedham, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
At last summer’s trial, Michael Proctor admitted under oath to sending texts to colleagues referring to Read as a “whackjob” and a “nutbag” with “no ass.”
According to a new motion filed by Read’s defense team, at 5:48 p.m. on July 1, 2024, the day Read’s first trial ended with a hung jury, Proctor sent Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally a text that read: “Yeah, didn’t watch (expletive) Jackson’s closing for good reason. Like all of us the anticipation and anxiety of the verdict has us all on edge.” (The “Jackson” that Proctor was referring to is Read’s defense attorney, Alan Jackson.)
The defense’s motion asserts that Proctor’s message to Lally is an example of “impeachment evidence” that can be used to discredit a witness.
READ MORE | MA v. Karen Read: Killer or Cover-Up Murder Trial
Other text messages sent by Proctor that came to light at last year’s trial include: “No nudes so far,” “Hopefully she kills herself,” and comments about her “leaky balloon knot.” The last text was a reference to an inflammatory bowel disease that Read suffers from. Proctor, who read those messages aloud on cross-examination, conceded that they were unprofessional and inappropriate.
Karen Read sits in court during a motions hearing on March 26, 2024. (Court TV)
Proctor, who’s been suspended from the Massachusetts State Police without pay since July, is awaiting disciplinary action over allegations of misconduct. He’s set to appear before the state parole board for the third time on March 13, CBS News reported. That hearing will be a continuance of a hearing Proctor attended last Monday, Feb. 10.
Read was also in court last Monday when she lost a bid for the court to drop the charges against her, which include second-degree murder. Read is accused of hitting her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, with her SUV after a night of drinking and leaving him to die in a blizzard. O’Keefe was found dead by the curb outside a fellow Boston Police officer’s Canton, Massachusetts home. Read’s defense maintains she’s being framed.
Read’s retrial is on track to begin on April 1.
