Karen Read’s murder trial took an unexpected turn Monday when the Massachusetts state trooper who led the investigation into her then-boyfriend’s death was forced to read her text messages disparaging the suspect.
In the messages, Lieutenant Michael Proctor called Read, 44, a ‘wacko’ and a ‘pussy’ and referred to her as a ‘babe’ with no ‘ass’, while downplaying her ‘accent.’ of Fall River’.
In other messages, he joked about searching his phone for nude photos during the investigation.
Read’s defense lawyers say these texts support their theory that police framed her in a vast conspiracy. blaming her for the death of her boyfriend John O’Keefe in January 2022.
But Proctor said “these juvenile and unprofessional comments had no impact on the facts, evidence and integrity of the investigation.”
Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor took the stand in Karen Read’s murder trial on Monday.
Proctor called Read, 44, a ‘wacko’ and a ‘club’ and referred to her as a ‘babe’ with no ‘ass’, text messages read in court reveal.
O’Keefe, 46, was found unconscious in a snowbank with skull fractures, swollen eyes and hypothermia around 6 a.m. on Jan. 29, 2022, outside a home where he was dropped off for an after-party around 00.45 am
He was then taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton, where he was pronounced dead several hours later.
Police have since alleged that Read hit O’Keefe, a 16-year-old Boston police officer, with his truck and left him to die after a night of bar-hopping and heavy drinking.
The two were out to celebrate their niece’s acceptance into a private school, and footage from one of the bars, C.R. McCarthy’s in Boston, showed her hugging O’Keefe, hugging and kissing the man she is accused of killing shortly after. a few hours later.
But prosecutors claim Read and O’Keefe’s relationship had been in trouble amid accusations that he was cheating and tensions over the two children in O’Keefe’s care: his orphaned niece and nephew.
John O’Keefe, a 16-year-old Boston police officer, was found dead around 6 a.m. on January 29, 2022, outside a house where he was dropped off for an after-party around 12:45 a.m.
Prosecutors have claimed that Read and O’Keefe’s relationship was in trouble.
They claim the fragments were found near O’Keefe’s body and are proof that Read drove his SUV into O’Keefe.
Prosecutors have also claimed that witnesses at the scene heard Read shout “I hit him!” when she and two friends found her body, along with ‘this is my fault’. I did this.’
Read’s defense, however, got the police officers to acknowledge that they never actually heard her say that she had hit O’Keefe.
Defense attorneys have also refuted the idea that there were problems with the relationship, and O’Keefe’s friends at the bar testified that the couple seemed happy that night.
Chilling footage showing glamorous accused murderer Karen Read in a Boston bar on the night she allegedly killed her policeman boyfriend has been shown in court.
Instead, they claim O’Keefe was beaten by people at the party and thrown outside, where he died on the grass.
They argue that police failed to adequately investigate O’Keefe’s death and have singled out Proctor for his close relationship with several authorities involved in the case, including owner Brian Albert.
In fact, in one of the text messages read in Norfolk Superior Court, Proctor responded to someone asking if Albert would receive any repercussions by saying, “No, the owner of the house is also a Boston police officer.”
After Read was charged with O’Keefe’s murder, Proctor’s sister also texted him to inform him that Albert wanted to buy her a gift.
But Proctor testified that neither he nor his wife received any gifts from Albert or his wife, a friend of Proctor’s sister.
Defense attorneys claim O’Keefe was beaten at the party and thrown outside.
Other messages reveal that Proctor sent text messages to his friends telling them that “some serious charges will be filed against the girl,” referring to Read.
He claimed in the messages that Read ‘set him up’ and that ‘she hit him with her car.’ according to the Boston Globe.
“Let’s close this crazy thing,” he said in one of the messages.
On the stand, Proctor repeatedly apologized for the text messages, calling them “poor language” that was “unrelated” to the investigation.
Meanwhile, the lieutenant also faces an internal investigation for a “potential violation of department policy.” Reports from the inside edition.
Proctor opens evidence box to show jury broken taillight while testifying
It is unclear whether the internal investigation is related to the Karen Read case, but lead defense lawyer Alan Jackson has suggested it may be related to a text message he sent to his family about having Albert’s wife babysit. his little son.
“We should all take that in for a second: There is a level of closeness that cannot be overstated,” said Jackson, who got actor Kevin Spacey acquitted of child sexual abuse.
“Michael Proctor is so connected to the Alberts that he trusted, and was willing to trust, the Alberts to care for his young son.”
However, Proctor’s attorney, Michael DiStefano, said he “stands by the integrity of the work he did in investigating the death of Mr. John O’Keefe.”
Testimony in Read’s trial is expected to resume Wednesday.