Michael Proctor fired by Massachusetts State Police for actions in Karen Read investigation
Michael Proctor has been fired by the Massachusetts State Police for his actions in the Karen Read investigation.
Proctor faced a state police trial board over allegations of misconduct while working as the lead investigator in the Karen Read case. Col. Geoffrey Noble announced the decision to accept the trial board's recommendation on Wednesday.
Proctor, a veteran state police trooper, was relieved of duty just hours after Read's first trial ended with a hung jury in July 2024. He was suspended without pay weeks later.
The trial board hearing, which was held at Massachusetts State Police headquarters in Framingham, took place with testimony over three days. The hearing began January 15, continued February 10 and concluded on March 13.
Prosecutors said Read hit and killed John O'Keefe, a Boston police officer who she was dating at the time, with her SUV and left him to die in the snow outside a Canton home after a night of heavy drinking in 2022. Read has pleaded not guilty and says she is being framed as part of a coverup by several people, including law enforcement. Her first trial ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury.
Michael Proctor fired
The trial board found Proctor guilty of two charges - unsatisfactory performance and violating policy on alcoholic beverages.
Part of the reason for Proctor's initial suspension was the revelation of text messages he sent on his personal cellphone to friends, family, and colleagues about Read.
Proctor wrote in one message that "hopefully she kills herself." Another text revealed that Proctor called Read as a "whackjob [expletive]." Proctor called the text messages "regrettable" when asked about them during his testimony.
Noble ruled that Proctor "sent derogatory, defamatory, disparaging, and/or otherwise inappropriate text message about a suspect in that investigation to other individuals."
Federal investigators discovered the text messages, all of which came out during the first trial. The Department of Justice had been investigating O'Keefe's death and how police responded to the case. Special prosecutor Hank Brennan later said in court that the federal investigation has since ended without charges.
Noble also determined Proctor "provided sensitive and/or potential investigative steps in the investigation to non-law enforcement personnel."
Another incident also led to punishment against Proctor. While working the case, Proctor and Canton Police Officer Kevin Albert were allegedly drinking together. A day later, Albert sent text messages mentioning that he left his gun and badge in Proctor's cruiser.
Brian Albert, Kevin Albert's brother, owned the home where O'Keefe's body was found in the snow. Read and her defense team have argued that Brian Albert was one of the men who may have played a part in O'Keefe's death.
In his ruling, Noble said Proctor "consumed alcoholic beverages while eating dinner on duty and then proceeded to operate his Department-issued cruiser."
Noble found overall that Proctor failed to conform to work standards.
"This occurred when Trooper Proctor, while assigned as the lead investigator in a homicide investigation, through his unprofessional and inappropriate conduct, created an image that he was biased in his dealings with a homicide suspect and/or brought otherwise himself and the Massachusetts State Police into disrepute."
Read is scheduled to go on trial for a second time beginning in April.
Proctor will be called to the stand in some capacity again in Karen Read's second trial. Though WBZ legal analyst Katherine Loftus isn't sure that his termination will change much.
"If I'm being totally honest, I don't know how much it substantially changes, because it was so bad the first time," Loftus said. "You know the sort of viciousness of the words that he used about Karen Read."
Michael Proctor responds
The Proctor family released a statement on Wednesday following his firing.
"We are truly disappointed with the trial board's decision as it lacks precedent, and unfairly exploits and scapegoats one of their own, a trooper with a 12-year unblemished record," the family said. "Despite the Massachusetts State Police's dubious and relentless efforts to find more inculpatory evidence against Michael Proctor on his phones, computers and cruiser data, the messages on his personal phone – referring to the person who killed a fellow beloved Boston Police Officer - are all that they found. The messages prove one thing, and that Michael is human - not corrupt, not incompetent in his role as a homicide detective, and certainly not unfit to continue to be a Massachusetts State Trooper."
The Proctor family defended his work in the Read case.
"Proctor and his detectives led a meticulous and thorough investigation of integrity, and despite today's wrongful termination, and great harm and defamation this case has inflicted on him and his family, Proctor still believes justice will be served," the family said. "He is grateful for the unrelenting support of the union and the men and women of the Massachusetts State Police. His heart is always with the family of Officer John O'Keefe who continue to endure a prolonged and unimaginable nightmare."
Massachusetts State Police on Proctor firing
Col. Noble issued a statement following Proctor's firing.
"Our mission to deliver the highest level of police services depends on the public's trust in our professionalism and integrity. It is incumbent upon me, as well as every member of this Department, to hold one another accountable when any member compromises our mission by failing to uphold our values," Noble said.
According to WBZ-TV's I-Team, the dishonorable discharge is effective Wednesday. Following his firing, Proctor would never be allowed to serve as a state trooper again.
"As Superintendent, my role demands that I do what is in the best interest of the Department. My decision to terminate Mr. Proctor follows a thorough, fair, and impartial process. I have weighed the nature of the offenses, their impact on our investigative integrity, and the importance of safeguarding the reputations of our dedicated women and men in the State Police. This decision reflects our unwavering commitment to upholding our values, enhancing public trust and ensuring the highest standards of service and accountability," Noble said. "Finally, recognizing the ways in which this process has affected the family of Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, I would also like to renew our condolences to them."
Proctor has a right to appeal his firing to the Civil Service Commission. Massachusetts State Police said they are confident they have ample evidence and Proctor's termination would be upheld.
