Ex-Karen Read Investigator Abandons Fight for Reinstatement After Dismissal for Misconduct

A Massachusetts State Trooper, dismissed from his position due to unprofessional conduct in the Karen Read investigation, has decided to retract his appeal against the termination.

Attorney Daniel J. Moynihan, representing Michael Proctor, informed the Boston Globe about the appeal withdrawal, citing “disclosures made available to our office on Friday.” However, he withheld further details.

According to the Globe, recent court filings indicated prosecutors are examining a substantial collection of files discovered on Proctor’s cell phone, which are part of their assessment of several murder investigations he was involved in.

Prosecutors remarked that the “volume of items was unexpectedly larger than the representations of Proctor’s counsel regarding the cell phone.”

Proctor was initially suspended and subsequently dismissed in July 2024 following a mistrial in Read’s first trial for the murder of her Boston police officer boyfriend, John O’Keefe. Earlier this year, Read was acquitted in a second trial, although she was convicted of driving under the influence. During the first trial, Proctor was reported to have made derogatory remarks about Read, referring to her as a “whack job,” expressing a wish for her to “kill herself,” and commenting on the absence of nude photos on her phone, as reported by CrimeOnline.

A Trial Board fired Proctor, who was the lead investigator in the Read case, after finding him guilty of unsatisfactory performance and drinking on the job, the Globe said. He had fought to get his job back since that time.