Crime

Trooper Michael Proctor relieved of duties by State Police after Karen Read mistrial

State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, who called Karen Read a "a wack job c**t" and "retarded" in text messages, was relieved of duty Monday.

By Molly Farrar

July 1, 2024

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The Massachusetts State Police trooper who read his vulgar texts about Karen Read aloud in court has been removed from his position and will no longer work cases, officials announced just hours after the high-profile murder case ended in a mistrial. 

Trooper Michael Proctor will be transferred out of the State Police Detective’s Unit assigned to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office effective July 7, Colonel John Mawn Jr. said in a statement. The delay is required by troopers’ collective bargaining agreement.

Effective immediately, Proctor will no longer be allowed to work cases or function as a trooper.

“This follows our previous decision to open an internal affairs investigation after information about serious misconduct emerged in testimony at the trial. This investigation is ongoing,” Mawn said. “Our focus remains on delivering the highest level of police services with professionalism and integrity.”

Mawn confirmed that Proctor is still an employee of the department.

Proctor was the lead investigator into the death of Boston police officer John O’Keefe.

Read, 44, was charged with murder after O’Keefe was found unresponsive outside another Boston officer’s Canton home in the snow in 2022. Prosecutors alleged that she drunkenly and intentionally backed into O’Keefe, while her lawyers claimed she was framed in a coverup.

Proctor admitted he “dehumanized” Read in texts he sent to friends, family, and colleagues about the ongoing investigation into her boyfriend’s death. 

On the stand, Proctor confirmed he called the Mansfield woman a “wack job c**t” and “retarded,” and made comments about her Crohn’s disease.

“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 at the time. 

Other conversations Proctor had about the investigation were also read aloud in court. 

“I’m sure the owner of the house will receive some s***,” one of Proctor’s friends wrote. Proctor replied, “Nope… Homeowner is a Boston cop, too.”

He also wrote in other texts that Read “hit (O’Keefe) with her car.”

“She hot, at least?” one of Proctor’s friends asked at some point. Proctor said he replied, “She’s a wack job c***. Yes, she’s a babe. Weird Fall River accent, though. No ass.” 

Proctor told the jury last month that his comments “have zero impact on the facts and the evidence and the integrity of this investigation.”

The case was declared a mistrial on Monday.

Governor Maura Healey criticized Proctor after his testimony, calling his texts “terrible” and “unprofessional.”

“It does harm, frankly, to the dignity and integrity of the work of men and women across the State Police and law enforcement,” Healey said.