PLYMOUTH, Mass. (Court TV) — Attorneys for Karen Read have accused a sergeant with the Canton Police Department of sending “vile” messages in a request for the town to produce documents related to the officer’s discipline.
Karen Read appears in court ahead of a hearing in her civil trial on March 6, 2026. (Court TV)
Read, 46, stood trial twice on charges she murdered her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, by hitting him with her SUV and leaving him to die in the snow. A deadlocked jury forced the first trial to end in a mistrial; a second jury acquitted her of murder but found her guilty of driving under the influence.
Even with the criminal charges behind her, Read is still embroiled in two lawsuits: one that she filed against witnesses in the case and investigators who she said conspired together to frame her for O’Keefe’s death, and one filed against her by the O’Keefe family, accusing her of wrongful death and infliction of emotional distress.
In the lawsuit filed against her, Read has asked a judge to compel the town of Canton to hand over documents related to its investigation into Canton Police Sgt. Sean Goode.
MORE | O’Keefe attorney offers apology to Karen Read for misquoting her
Goode, who testified at Read’s first trial, was one of the first to respond to the 911 call about O’Keefe’s death. He was active in the investigation and was friends with former Massachusetts State Police trooper Michael Proctor, who served as the lead investigator in O’Keefe’s death. Proctor was fired from his job after texts he sent about Read during the investigation came to light during her first trial.
Canton Sgt. Sean Goode testifies at Karen Read’s first trial on May 7, 2024. (Court TV)
Read’s latest filing implies there may be more messages, some of which may have been sent by Goode. “According to newly-received documents from the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office, Goode and Proctor are close long-time buddies who frequently exchanged vile messages while both served as police officers,” Read’s attorneys wrote.
The town of Canton is fighting the subpoena, writing in a reply that Read’s request is overly broad and seeks irrelevant information. “The Town fails to see how any such records are even remotely relevant to the allegations and defenses in the instant action,” an attorney for Canton wrote. “The current investigation, which did not even begin until nearly four (4) years after Mr. O’Keefe’s death, does not involve any allegations remotely related to Mr. O’Keefe’s death, the Defendant, and/or Sgt. Goode’s involvement with the investigation surrounding Mr. O’Keefe’s death.”
MORE | Judge weighing whether Karen Read’s accidental email can be used
In their motion, Read’s attorneys point to media reports that Goode’s placement on administrative leave was linked to his relationship with Proctor. The town acknowledges in the filing that Goode was put on paid administrative leave after Read’s acquittal in 2025, but does not specify why.
In their reply, attorneys for the town accuse Read of sharing information with the media, saying immediately after they shared the letter placing Goode on administrative leave copies were posted online. Read’s attorneys fired back in a reply: “It is particularly disingenuous for the Town to suggest (without any evidence whatsoever) that Read would immediately provide documents relating to the Goode investigation to the media.” Read’s attorneys noted that their client offered to consider confidentiality restrictions on any documents that were released.
Read is due back in court on Thursday afternoon for a status hearing in the civil case. No trial date has been set.
