Michael Proctor, lead investigator in Karen Read case, continues appeal of his firing

The Massachusetts State Police trooper who was fired over his handling of the Karen Read investigation is continuing his efforts to get his job back. Former Trooper Michael Proctor was dishonorably discharged from the MSP in March after the agency’s trial board found him guilty of multiple violations of the organization’s Code of Conduct. All but one of the violations had to do with the investigation into the death of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe in Canton, for which his girlfriend, Read, was charged with second-degree murder. Proctor, through his attorney, vowed to appeal the firing at the time. A virtual hearing before the state Civil Service Commission this week brought him one step further on his appeals process. “He was a stellar trooper for 12 years without a blemish on his record,” Proctor’s attorney Daniel Moynihan told the Herald Wednesday. “And I believe it’s been established that the investigation, at least on his part, was not compromised in any way.” Moynihan said he didn’t want to get into too much detail about the case as he doesn’t want to reveal any of his strategies before employing them in hearings. But he said the road ahead is one of preparation: seeking evidence from the State Police, thoroughly reviewing that evidence and gearing up for the next hearing scheduled for Aug. 19 at 9:30 a.m., in person before the Civil Service Commission at 100 Cambridge St. in Boston. Proctor’s firing Read went through two trials and was acquitted at the conclusion of the second trial last month on all but drunken driving, the least of the charges jurors were to consider. Proctor was the “case officer” of the investigation, meaning he managed it, and he was fired between the two trials. The Trial Board found that Proctor “while assigned as the lead investigator in a homicide investigation” sent “inappropriate text messages about a suspect,” shared sensitive details about the investigation to non-law enforcement, and brought himself and the MSP “into disrepute” by his conduct. A fourth finding was that he drank alcohol while eating dinner on duty and drove his cruiser buzzed. At the time of Proctor’s firing on March 19, Moynihan said Proctor “has never denied that he sent derogatory and vulgar text messages in private conversations with personal friends. He does deny, however, that his investigation in this case was compromised in any way,” which Moynihan said was supported by testimony at the Trial Board. Moynihan’s statement continued, “We look forward to the appeal of the Department’s decision, in a forum where Michael Proctor will receive actual due process in a fair and impartial hearing.”