The lead investigator in the case of a woman accused of hitting her cop boyfriend with her SUV and leaving him to die in a snowbank was grilled Wednesday at trial over offensive, inappropriate texts he wrote about her during the investigation.
On trial is Karen Read, 44, who has pleaded not guilty to a host of charges including second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter and leaving the scene of a collision causing death.
Michael Proctor, the Massachusetts State Trooper who headed the investigation into the death of 46-year-old John O’Keefe in January 2022, was also questioned about his relationship with several witnesses — especially relevant given that Read’s attorneys claim she was framed.
Read and O’Keefe had been out drinking with friends, including Boston Police Officer Brian Albert and his sister-in-law, Jennifer McCabe, during a blizzard, according to local NBC affiliate WBTS.
Part of the group went back to Albert’s house in Canton, just outside Boston. Read dropped O’Keefe off and opted to go home instead of inside. She then made a three-point turn and drove off, she said.
Later, when Read could not reach O’Keefe, she and two friends returned to the party, where they found his body outside.
On Monday in court, Proctor read from pages of text messages he exchanged with childhood friends in the immediate aftermath of O’Keefe’s death. To his supervisors and colleagues he joked about not finding nude photos while searching Read’s phone.
In other texts, he called her a “nutbag” and disparaged her Crohn’s disease diagnosis with the words, “She’s got a leaky balloon knot. Leaks poo,” according to The Boston Globe. He also admitted to calling Read a “whack job c—t.”
Proctor expressed regret on Wednesday for the “juvenile” texts but said they did not reflect a bias in his investigation.
Read’s defense allege that many of O’Keefe’s injuries indicate he was beaten up and perhaps attacked by a dog inside the residence. They also claim that Proctor’s friendships with several of the key witnesses taint his take on what happened, and that some of the evidence found on Read’s SUV was planted.
Proctor is under investigation by internal affairs over his conduct in the case, according to WBTS.
Read’s trial is in its seventh week.
With News Wire Services
