The Massachusetts State Trooper accused of manipulating evidence and sending vulgar texts in the case of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe’s death has been relieved of duty following a mistrial in the case. Trooper Michael Proctor was the lead investigator in O’Keefe’s death, where Karen Read, O’Keefe’s girlfriend, was the prime suspect. An internal affairs investigation was opened after Read’s defense team alleged that Proctor failed to properly investigate the case and made derogatory comments about Read.
The Massachusetts State Police Colonel John E. Mawn Jr. stated that the agency took immediate action to relieve Proctor of duty and that the internal affairs investigation is ongoing. Proctor will be transferred out of the detective unit assigned to the Norfolk County district attorney’s office. O’Keefe was found unresponsive outside a Boston officer’s home and was later pronounced dead due to hypothermia and blunt force trauma to the head.
Prosecutors alleged that Read backed her SUV into O’Keefe and left him for dead, while Read’s defense claimed that O’Keefe was ambushed and that she was framed for a murder she did not commit. Proctor’s biased investigation, including derogatory language used in text messages about Read, led to his relief of duty. Read’s lawyers welcomed the news, stating that “conduct has consequences” and expressing their hope for revealing the truth in the unjust prosecution. District Attorney Michael Morrissey expressed support for a second trial against Read, which her defense team looks forward to challenging.
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