BOSTON (Court TV) — One of the lead investigators who built the case against Karen Read has been removed from the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office and reassigned.
Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik, of the Massachusetts State Police, watches video showing the parking lot of the Canton Police Department, on January 29, 2022, during the murder retrial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik testified alongside his partner, former trooper Michael Proctor, in Read’s first trial; during her retrial, Bukhenik testified without Proctor and faced a contentious cross-examination about his and his partner’s behavior during the investigation.
Read, who stood trial twice on charges that she murdered her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, was acquitted of the most serious charges in June. While Read’s first trial ended in a mistrial when the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict, the second jury found that while Read was guilty of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, they found her not guilty of all other charges.
MORE | MA v. Karen Read Murder Retrial: Daily Trial Updates
Proctor was suspended from duty during Read’s first trial after admitting, under oath, that he had sent crude and inappropriate text messages about the defendant to colleagues. After three appearances at a police trial over several months, Proctor was terminated from the Massachusetts State Police.
Bukhenik had served as Proctor’s supervisor during the investigation into O’Keefe’s death. During Read’s retrial, Bukhenik testified that he lost five vacation days as a penalty following the internal investigation that led to Proctor’s eventual termination. While Read’s attorney, Alan Jackson, questioned Bukhenik about how evidence was collected and why detectives focused on Read, Bukhenik maintained that the investigation had been conducted “with honor and integrity.”
MORE | Judge allows O’Keefes’ civil case against Karen Read to move forward
A spokesperson for the Massachusetts State Police told Court TV that Bukhenik was reassigned, effective Sunday, July 6, from his previous position at the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office. In his new position at the Division of Standards and Training, Bukhenik will perform “a variety of administrative functions in support of the Division’s daily operations.” A personnel order shared with Court TV identifies the move as a “temporary duty assignment” that extends through October 4.
