Two more Massachusetts state troopers are under investigation over alleged misconduct during the handling of the murder case against Karen Read.
Read had been charged with murder and other offenses after Boston police officer John O’Keefe died from blunt trauma outside a house party in January 2022.
Read was accused of deliberately running him over and leaving the scene, while the defense claimed she was being framed by the cops. They alleged O’Keefe was badly beaten during a fight inside the party, which was hosted and attended by fellow police officers, and then dragged outside into the snow.
A mistrial was declared earlier in July after the jury remained deadlocked after several days of deliberations.
During the trial, lead investigator Michael Proctor testified he had sent sexist and offensive texts about Read. The defense also argued he tampered with evidence due to his relationships with several key witnesses. He was removed from his position following the mistrial.
This week, Massachusetts State Police said Detective Lt. Brian Tully and Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik — both of whom testified during the trial — are also facing internal investigations but remain on active duty.
Tully said he never searched the home outside of which O’Keefe was found because there was no evidence a crime had been committed inside. Therefore, he said, it would have been impossible to obtain a search warrant.
Bukhenik meanwhile was Proctor’s supervisor and testified about the chain of custody for some evidence.
Earlier this week, a retrial of the Read case was scheduled for January 2025, but the defense has filed a motion to have the charges dismissed.
