Lead detective Michael Proctor in Karen Read investigation relieved of duty over ‘serious misconduct’ after mistrial

The lead investigator in the murder trial of Karen Read, who was accused of killing her police officer boyfriend, has been relieved of his duties.

Read, 44, was told Monday that jurors could not agree on whether she fatally shot Boston police officer John O’Keefe, 46, with her SUV in January 2022.

It marked the end of a nine-week, frenetic trial in which Read alleged she was the victim of a vast plot to frame her.

In a sensational twist, Detective Chief Inspector Michael Proctor has been transferred from the local detective unit for ‘serious misconduct’.

The officer will still be paid, but his car, gun and equipment have all been seized, the report said. NBC Boston.

Last month, Proctor testified at trial that he had sent several text messages to his friends and colleagues about Read, a financial analyst and professor.

Proctor called Read a “crazy” and a “scumbag” and referred to her as a “babe” with no ass, while also ridiculing her “Fall River accent.”

In other messages, he joked that he had searched her phone for nude photos during the investigation.

Read’s defense attorneys claim these texts support their theory that she was framed by police for a grand conspiracy to blame her for the murder.

Proctor claimed that “these childish, unprofessional comments had no impact on the facts, the evidence, and the integrity of the investigation.”

Interim Colonel Jack Mawn of the Massachusetts State Police previously took a strong stance against Proctor’s comments and announced the move Monday.

In a statement, he said: “The department took immediate action to relieve Officer Michael Proctor of his duties and formally transfer him from the Norfolk County Prosecutor’s Office Criminal Investigation Unit.

‘This follows our earlier decision to launch an internal investigation after information about serious misconduct emerged in testimony during the trial. This investigation is ongoing.’

Governor Maura Healey said Tuesday, “The Colonel made the right decision. I fully support MSP’s decision on this.

‘As you know, an internal investigation is currently underway and that process will need to continue.

“This was the right move to remove him. This is a process. We have to wait for that process to continue.”

She added that she “frankly has no tolerance for this kind of behavior, towards anyone in law enforcement or in the public service.”

Sources have since reported NBC Boston that Proctor is also participating in a federal investigation into the handling of the case.

According to the outlet, Proctor graduated from the academy in 2014 and went on to work as a detective. Last year, he earned $146,053.

His fate will be determined by an internal investigation and a state commission that also looks into allegations of police misconduct.

On the night of O’Keefe’s death, he and Read were drinking with a group of friends and were invited to an after-party at his friend Brian Albert’s house.

Read, who prosecutors say had consumed several alcoholic drinks beforehand, decided to drop her boyfriend off at the party and then went to his house to sleep around 1 a.m., a home O’Keefe shared with his orphaned niece and nephew.

Court documents show the couple had been arguing violently for weeks.

The night O’Keefe died, Read left him a voicemail message calling him a “f****** loser” and saying, “John, I f****** hate you.”

The couple had been dating for two years when O’Keefe died. He had worked for 16 years with the Boston Police Department.

According to Read’s version of events, she woke up at 4 a.m. to find that O’Keefe had never come home. She panicked and drove to look for him.

After finding O’Keefe’s body outside Albert’s home, which partygoers claimed he had never entered, emergency responders at the scene said Read repeatedly told them she had hit him while she was panicking.

Vehicle data also showed Read backed her SUV 60 feet (19 meters) at 24 mph (39 km/h) near Albert’s home.

Prosecutors say O’Keefe died from blunt force trauma and hypothermia. Pieces of Read’s taillight were also found on his body.

In his closing arguments Tuesday, Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally said the allegations that Read was framed were nothing more than “widespread speculation.”

Lally also pointed to hair and O’Keefe’s DNA found on the back of Read’s SUV.

The defense argued that Read broke the taillight when she panicked and found O’Keefe, who never returned home.

That included security footage shown during the trial that showed Read wrecking O’Keefe’s car as she backed out of her house to look for him.

Read claimed that attendees at the party beat him to death and her lawyers presented phone records showing that O’Keefe’s phone had climbed dozens of stairs when he was allegedly beaten.

Her lawyer, Alan Jackson, claimed that these steps could have been the basement of Albert’s home. Albert has never been charged with any wrongdoing.

Read’s lawyers added that while emergency responders claimed Read said at the scene that he had punched O’Keefe, they argued that this evidence was later false and not given at the time.

A forensic engineer was called in to review the case, and he stated that if O’Keefe had been hit by a vehicle at more than 20 mph, he would expect more serious injuries.

When her trial began, Read received an outpouring of support from true crime fans, who camped outside the courthouse with signs reading “Free Karen Read.”

Many took to wearing pink in support of Read, prompting a judge to issue an order banning all clothing and accessories that could be construed as encouragement, and banning them from coming within 200 feet of the courthouse.

While the trial made national headlines, some observers were irritated by Read’s seemingly nonchalant demeanor during the hearing, earning her the nickname “America’s luckiest murder suspect.”

She was seen inside the courthouse winking at the cameras and eating snacks, angering some critics.

The prosecution says it wants to retry the case, in which the defense alleged that Read was entrapped by police.