Written by: Sam Orlando
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS — In 2022, Karen Read, a finance professional from Mansfield, was charged with killing her boyfriend—Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe—by allegedly backing her SUV into him after a night of drinking. Prosecutors say it was murder. Read says it was a frame job.
The defense claims O’Keefe was attacked inside a fellow officer’s home and left outside in the snow, while law enforcement scrambled to blame her. The case has become a true crime circus: part legal drama, part social media frenzy, and now, somehow, even more complicated.
Enter: Trooper Michael Proctor. Or rather, exit.
This week, Massachusetts State Police fired Proctor—the lead investigator in the case—after an internal review found he sent sexist and vulgar messages about Karen Read to family and colleagues during the investigation. Yes, the man in charge of collecting evidence was also busy texting that he hoped the suspect would die by suicide. Just the level of impartiality we all crave in a homicide case.
Proctor, who had already been suspended without pay since July 2024, was also found to have shared confidential case information with people who had absolutely no business receiving it—and, for good measure, was caught drinking on the job. Because what’s a complex murder investigation without a little buzz on the side?
The disciplinary board found that Proctor’s actions constituted “unsatisfactory performance,” and state police made it clear that his conduct wasn’t just unprofessional—it was a liability. Which is a nice way of saying: this guy made a mess.
And the timing? Impeccable.
Karen Read’s first trial ended in a mistrial last summer after jurors couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict. A retrial is scheduled to begin on April 1. Proctor was expected to testify again—though now it’s unclear whether he’ll appear as a prosecution witness or just an example of what not to do when investigating a homicide.
His family insists he’s not corrupt, just “human,” as though texting vile personal opinions about a murder suspect while drinking on duty is a common character flaw we all need to be more understanding about.
Meanwhile, Read’s defense team is probably baking a thank-you cake. Proctor’s behavior bolsters their argument that this investigation was tainted from the start—and it certainly doesn’t help the prosecution’s effort to convince the public that this case is rooted in facts, not grudges.
State Police say Proctor’s firing is proof that they take public trust seriously. But the fact that it took this long—and that he was even considered a credible witness—raises questions about oversight, accountability, and whether this entire investigation needs to be re-examined.
Because when the lead detective treats a murder case like group chat gossip, the question isn’t just whether justice will be served. It’s whether anyone will believe it when it is.