Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor returned to the witness stand Wednesday during Day 23 of the Karen Read trial. On Monday, Proctor admitted to calling Read a “c*nt,” and “nut bag” with a “leaky balloon knot,” in a series of offensive and inappropriate text messages he sent about Read as he led the investigation into her boyfriend’s death, which he continues to oversee.
On Wednesday, Proctor told Read’s attorney, Alan Jackson, that by “balloon knot” he “essentially” meant the “rectum area.” The balloon comment was a dig at Read who Proctor knew had Crohn’s disease. Proctor also confessed to joking about searching for nude photos of Read on her phone during the investigation.
Proctor admitted his remarks were “unprofessional and regrettable.” He described his comment about looking for nude photos of Read as “a distasteful joke.”
“I don’t have an explanation other than they’re regrettable and it’s something I’m not proud of, the language that I used,” he said regarding his texts.
When asked about his choice of words, Proctor explained, “the compelling evidence pointing directly at Ms. Read — that she struck Mr. O’Keefe with her vehicle — led me to make those comments.”
Read, 44, is charged with deliberately hitting her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, with her SUV while dropping him off at a home in Canton after a night out in January 2022. However, Read’s attorneys claim O’Keefe entered an afterparty at 34 Fairview Road, where he was beaten, possibly attacked by the family’s dog, and left to die in the snow.
The defense contends that Read was the victim of a conspiracy involving witnesses and law enforcement, with attempts to implicate Proctor in their cover-up allegations. During his cross-examination on Monday, defense attorney Alan Jackson proposed that Proctor had prematurely decided on Read’s guilt.
“In other words, Trooper Proctor, you don’t get to pick a suspect and then try to find evidence to support your choice, right?” Jackson asked.
“Correct,” Proctor responded.
“But in this case, that’s exactly what you did, isn’t it?” Jackson pressed.
“Absolutely not,” Proctor asserted.
Jackson also accused Proctor of objectifying Read rather than investigating her objectively.
“I believe poor jokes and unprofessional language have no bearing on the integrity and the factual and physical evidence of this case,” Proctor insisted.
