BOSTON — Trooper Michael Proctor has been relieved of duty following the mistrial in the Karen Read case.
Colonel Jack Mawn of the Massachusetts State Police announced the decision on Facebook at around 9:30 p.m. on Monday, July 1, 2024. Earlier in the day, Judge Beverly J. Cannone declared a mistrial in the case.
“Upon learning today’s result, the department took immediate action to relieve Trooper Michael Proctor of duty and formally transfer him out of the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office State Police Detective’s Unit,” Col. Mawn said in the statement. “This follows our previous decision to open an internal affairs investigation after information about serious misconduct emerged in testimony at the trial.”
Proctor’s testimony revealed text messages where he referred to Karen Read in highly derogatory terms, including calling her a “c*nt” and a “nut bag” with a “leaky balloon knot,” making light of her Crohn’s disease. These revelations severely damaged the prosecution’s case by undermining the credibility of the evidence and raising significant concerns about the fairness of the investigation.
The mistrial was declared after jurors couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict on the charges against Read, who was accused of second-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe. The defense argued that O’Keefe was murdered by someone else at the scene, further complicating the trial.
The O’Keefe family expressed their ongoing grief and disappointment following the mistrial.
Col. Mawn said the investigation into Proctor’s actions while he was overseeing the investigation is ongoing.
