DEDHAM — The Massachusetts State Police and Michael Morrissey, the District Attorney of Norfolk County, have not responded to repeated inquiries about potential developments in the Karen Read case following the suspension of Trooper Michael Proctor. Proctor, the lead investigator in the case, was suspended without pay after an internal affairs investigation revealed unprofessional behavior, including sending disparaging texts about Karen Read and displaying potential bias in his investigative conduct. There have also been allegations that Proctor may have planted pieces of a tail light at the scene to implicate Read further, raising questions about the integrity of the original investigation.
On August 24, Genevieve DiNatale, Editor-in-Chief of News Link Live, sent emails to both the State Police and DA Morrissey, seeking clarification on whether the investigation would be revisited due to these concerns about Proctor’s conduct. In the emails, DiNatale specifically asked whether advanced forensic methods, such as luminol testing, would be employed at Brian Albert’s former residence, and if DNA samples from Albert and his family would be collected. She also raised questions about the focus of the current investigation, which seems to be limited to investigating the officers involved rather than expanding to a broader reassessment of all available evidence, especially in light of the concerns about Proctor’s potential bias and the alleged planting of evidence.
The email to the State Police was addressed to Timothy McGuirk, the spokesperson for the State Police. DiNatale’s email read:
Subject: Inquiry Regarding Investigation in Karen Read Case
Dear Mr. McGuirk,
I hope this message finds you well. My name is Genevieve DiNatale, and I am the editor-in-chief of News Link Live, a Massachusetts-based news outlet. I am reaching out to inquire about potential developments in the Karen Read case following the suspension of Trooper Michael Proctor.
As I am sure you are well aware, Trooper Proctor, the lead investigator in the case, was recently suspended without pay following an internal affairs investigation into “unprofessional” behavior, including disparaging texts about Karen Read and alleged bias. Given these circumstances, I am interested in understanding whether the state police plan on initiating a new investigation into the case, specifically:
- Collection of New Evidence: Are there plans to revisit the investigation at Brian Albert’s former residence, possibly using advanced forensic methods such as luminol to uncover new evidence?
- DNA Collection: Will there be efforts to collect DNA samples from Brian Albert and his son(s) or any other individuals potentially linked to the case?
- Scope of Investigation: Given concerns about Proctor’s investigation, why focus only on investigating the officers rather than obtaining new evidence, considering the possibility of a less thorough investigation or planted evidence, such as the broken tail light? Additionally, I understand that more state troopers, including Lt. John Fanning, Detective Lt. Brian Tully, and Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik, who testified in the Karen Read trial, are now facing an internal affairs investigation. Could you provide any insights into how this might impact the investigation’s direction?
Your insights on these questions would be invaluable as I prepare an article addressing the current status and future of the investigation.
Thank you for your time and assistance. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Genevieve “Gen” DiNatale
Founder/Editor-in-Chief of News Link Live
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The email sent to District Attorney Michael Morrissey was similar in content and also sought clarity on the direction of the investigation:
Subject: Inquiry Regarding Investigation in Karen Read Case
Dear Mr. Morrissey,
I hope this message finds you well. My name is Genevieve DiNatale, and I am the editor-in-chief of News Link Live, a Massachusetts-based news outlet. I am reaching out to inquire about potential developments in the Karen Read case following the suspension of Trooper Michael Proctor.
As you are likely aware, Trooper Proctor, the lead investigator in the case, was recently suspended without pay following an internal affairs investigation into allegations of “unprofessional” behavior, including disparaging texts about Karen Read and concerns about bias. Given these developments, I am interested in understanding whether the state police plan to initiate a new investigation into the case, specifically regarding the following points:
- Collection of New Evidence: Are there plans to revisit the investigation at Brian Albert’s former residence, potentially utilizing advanced forensic methods such as luminol to uncover new evidence?
- DNA Collection: Will there be efforts to collect DNA samples from Brian Albert, his son(s), or any other individuals who may be linked to the case?
- Scope of Investigation: Given concerns about Trooper Proctor’s conduct, why is the focus currently on investigating the officers rather than pursuing new evidence? This includes considering the possibility of a less thorough investigation or even planted evidence, such as the broken tail light. Additionally, with the internal affairs investigation now extending to more state troopers, including Lt. John Fanning, Detective Lt. Brian Tully, and Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik, who testified in the Karen Read trial, could you provide insights into how this might affect the investigation’s direction?
Your insights on these matters would be invaluable as I prepare an article on the current status and future direction of the investigation.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Genevieve “Gen” DiNatale
Founder/Editor-in-Chief, News Link Live
Find us on:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
As of this writing, neither the State Police nor DA Morrissey’s office has responded, leaving questions about the investigation’s next steps unanswered.
Meanwhile, Karen Read’s legal proceedings continue as her attorneys appeal to the state Supreme Judicial Court to have two of the three charges against her—second-degree murder and leaving the scene of an accident with injury or death—dismissed following a July mistrial. The defense is not seeking to drop the charge of manslaughter while driving drunk. Read’s legal team argue that retrying her on the charges of second-degree murder and leaving the scene would constitute double jeopardy, asserting that the jury had unanimously found Read not guilty of these two charges during the previous trial.
Judge Beverly Cannone, who declared the mistrial, sided with the prosecution last month, noting that the defense had the chance to object to the mistrial declaration at the time but did not. The defense team has since filed a 37-page petition with the state Supreme Judicial Court, requesting oral arguments before a single justice to challenge Cannone’s decision.
Defense attorney Martin Weinberg argued that there is evidence the jury unanimously acquitted Read on two of the three charges and has sought court permission to contact jurors to confirm this. He suggested that the court should consider holding a hearing to establish evidence supporting Read’s acquittal on those counts.
The prosecution has opposed these motions, arguing that they rely on hearsay and are “legally inappropriate.” Judge Cannone emphasized in her decision that there was no verdict announced in open court and, therefore, retrying Read does not violate the principle of double jeopardy.
As Read’s legal team continues to push for the dismissal of charges, a second trial is scheduled to begin on January 27, 2025.
News Link Live will continue to seek responses from the authorities and provide updates on the legal proceedings as new information becomes available.
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