Michael Proctor, fired Karen Read investigator, had racist and offensive texts on phone, I-Team sources say
Michael Proctor, the disgraced lead investigator in Karen Read's high-profile case, has dropped his appeal to the Civil Service Commission and is no longer seeking to get his job back with Massachusetts State Police. Proctor's attorney said the decision was made based upon disclosures they learned about on Friday.
The I-Team has learned those disclosures involve thousands of text messages discovered on Proctor's cellphone that contained racial slurs and offensive and inappropriate language. The information could be made available to defense attorneys in other cases Proctor was investigating.
In August, Proctor's attorneys argued before the Civil Service Commission, an independent body that reviews any disciplinary action against state and local government. They claimed Proctor was the victim of a "witch hunt" and should get his job back.
Michael Proctor drops appeal
After two days of hearings, the proceedings were paused until the next round of testimony that was scheduled to take place on Tuesday. But on Monday, the Civil Service Commission confirmed that the hearing is canceled because Proctor has withdrawn his appeal.
"This notice confirms my withdrawal of my appeal in the above referenced matter. I exercise my right to sign this form of my own free will," Proctor said in a letter dated Saturday.
Daniel Moynihan, an attorney for Proctor, alleged in August that Proctor's firing was predetermined and rushed.
Moynihan said Monday, "Based upon disclosures made available to our office on Friday, October 17, 2025, the Appeal of Michael Proctor was withdrawn today."
Stephen Carley, representing Massachusetts State Police, used Proctor's own words to make the case that the veteran trooper deserved to be fired.
"Distasteful. Unprofessional. Inappropriate. In poor taste. Juvenile. Sexist. Disgusting. Dehumanizing. This selection of words does not come from a public comment section on a website, an op-ed columnist, or a protester outside the Norfolk County courthouse. These words are Michael Proctor's accounting of his own conduct in this case," Carley said during the hearing.
Why was Michael Proctor fired?
Proctor was fired in part due to crude text messages he sent about Read that surfaced during her first trial. He wrote in one message, "Hopefully she kills herself."
A Massachusetts State Police trial board hearing over the course of several days concluded that Proctor "sent derogatory, defamatory, disparaging, and/or otherwise inappropriate text message about a suspect in that investigation to other individuals."
The board also determined that Proctor drank alcohol before driving his police cruiser while on duty.
Read was accused of hitting and killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, with her SUV in January 2022 after a night of heavy drinking. Her first trial in 2024 ended with a mistrial due to a hung jury.
In June, a jury acquitted Read of all charges except operating under the influence. She was sentenced to one year of probation.