A Massachusetts State Police detective lieutenant was given a slap on the wrist for failing to supervise and discipline an officer who sent vicious text messages about murder suspect Karen Read.
Brian P. Tully learned this week that he will lose six days of vacation due to his failure to work with Trooper Michael Proctor, the lead investigator on Read’s case.
Proctor was infamously forced to read text messages he sent about Read from the witness stand during her trial, calling her a “whack job,” a “c**t” and a “babe,” among other things.
In other messages, he joked about searching her phone for nude photos during the investigation.
The nasty messages were used by Read’s defense as they claimed she was the victim of a vast conspiracy involving Boston police and Massachusetts State Police.
Prosecutors alleged that Read purposefully struck her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, with her SUV in January 2022. Her case ended in a mistrial in July and is expected to be heard again in January 2025.
Last month, Tully was reassigned from his leadership position in the state police, and a personnel order was seen by police this week Boston sphere said he “failed to conform to the work standards established for his rank, title or position.”
“As a result of his actions, Detective Lieutenant Tully will: forfeit six days of accrued leave,” the order said.
Massachusetts State Police Detective Brian P. Tully (pictured) learned this week that he will lose six days of vacation for failing to supervise and discipline a trooper who sent vicious text messages about murder suspect Karen Read
Read, 44, was labeled a ‘whack job’ and a ‘c**t’ by the lead investigator in her murder case and called her a ‘babe’ without ‘no a**’
According to the Globe, it was determined that Tully failed to take “appropriate corrective action” when Proctor’s messages were discovered.
The internal police investigation into Proctor’s posts also found that Tully also failed to report and document negative performance during evaluations.
When forced to read the messages he sent about Read during her trail, Proctor revealed that he was quick to believe in Read’s guilt early in the investigation, including texting, “She hit him with her car.”
“We’re going to lock this crazy job down,” another message said.
Proctor repeatedly apologized for the messages while on the witness stand, insisting that “these childish, unprofessional comments had no impact whatsoever on the facts, evidence and integrity of the investigation.”
State police immediately relieved Proctor of his duties after the humiliation, and he has been suspended without pay while the department continues its internal investigation.
Michael Proctor of the Massachusetts State Police (pictured) was forced to read messages he had sent about Read during her murder trial
John O’Keefe, a 16-year-old Boston police officer, was found dead around 6 a.m. on January 29, 2022, at a house where Read had dropped him off for a party around 12:45 p.m. Prosecutors say Read hit him with her SUV, and she claims she was framed
Read’s first trial in July ended in a mistrial because the jury was deadlocked, and she is expected to have a second murder trial in January 2025.
Read has maintained her innocence in the case and says she plans to fight to clear her name when she faces a second murder trial in January.
Although her jury was deadlocked, John O’Keefe’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against her.
Prosecutors allege Read hit O’Keefe with her car after a drunken argument when she dropped him off at the house for an afterparty, and claim they found pieces of her car’s taillight around his body.
She had spent the evening drinking with O’Keefe and a group of friends at the Waterfall Bar and Grill in Canton, about 14 miles south of Boston, and the group had been invited to the home of his friend Brian Albert, a Boston retiree. police officer.
Read, who prosecutors said had consumed several alcoholic drinks beforehand, decided to drop O’Keefe off at the afterparty before heading to his home — which he shared with his orphaned niece and nephew — to go to sleep around 1 a.m.
Court documents revealed that the couple had been arguing heavily for weeks beforehand, and on the night O’Keefe died, Read left him a voicemail calling him a “f****** loser” , and ‘John, I f** I hate you.’
Chilling footage was shown in court of Read at a Boston bar the night she allegedly killed her police boyfriend
The couple had been dating for two years when O’Keefe died. He had served on the Boston Police Department for sixteen years
The couple had been dating for two years when O’Keefe died. He had served on the Boston Police Department for sixteen years.
As the party continued at Albert’s house, Read said she woke up around 4 a.m. to find him not home, telling O’Keefe’s niece she was “distraught.”
Attendees at the party, including some law enforcement officers, claimed that O’Keefe never arrived at the party or entered the house.
Read then searched for O’Keefe with a friend, and prosecutors allege that during the search she said to her, “What if he’s dead?” What if a plow hits him?…I don’t remember anything from last night, we drank so much I don’t remember anything.’
At 6 a.m., Read found O’Keefe lying in the snow outside Albert’s home, and a first responder on scene reportedly claimed Read repeatedly shouted, “I hit him, I hit him,” reports CBS News.
O’Keefe was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was blunt force trauma and hypothermia.
Read was scrutinized in court for a perceived light-hearted attitude, including winking at cameras and interjecting during the proceedings
When her trial began, Read received strong support from true crime fans and local residents who camped outside the courthouse with signs that read “Free Karen Read.”
Read’s defense countered that she is the victim of an elaborate conspiracy to frame her, claiming the police officer may have actually been attacked by other officers and attendees at the party where he was found dead.
During her trial, Read’s claims that she was framed also attracted a legion of fans, who wore pink to show their support and were often evicted outside the courthouse.
The judge in her case even issued a ruling at the start of the trial that banned supporters from coming within 200 feet of the courthouse.
Read’s behavior in the courthouse also sparked backlash when she was branded “America’s luckiest murder defendant” as she appeared to soak up the attention as she winked at the cameras and snacked in the courtroom.