Karen Read case investigator Proctor fired, union and lawyer to appeal termination
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Trooper Michael Proctor, the lead investigator in the Karen Read murder case, has been fired from the Massachusetts State Police (MSP), according to a Wednesday statement from MSP.
Both the State Police Association of Massachusetts, the MSP union, and Proctor’s attorney Daniel Moynihan said in statements that the decision will be appealed.
Read’s first trial resulted in a hung jury and mistrial in July of 2024, and Proctor was relieved of his duty, suspended and subject to a Trial Board investigation due to accusations of inappropriate conduct.
The Trial Board Finding document included with the MSP statement reports that Proctor had been accused and found guilty of several infractions.
In Charge #1, Proctor was found guilty of sending “derogatory, defamatory, disparaging and/or otherwise inappropriate text messages about a suspect in that investigation to other individuals.”
This occurred on various dates between January 29 and August 17, 2022.
Proctor admitted to the Read case jury that he called the defendant a “wack job” in text messages to fellow Troopers, friends and family.
One week later, on July 8, he was suspended without pay.
Also in Charge #1, Proctor was found guilty of sharing sensitive and/or confidential information about a person involved in a homicide with non-law enforcement personnel.
The Trial Board document states that these infractions occurred on various dates between January 29 and June 9, 2022.
The final specification in Charge #1 found Proctor guilty of creating an image that he was biased in his dealings with a homicide suspect.
The document states that Proctor “brought otherwise himself and the Massachusetts State Police into disrepute.”
Charge #2 found Proctor guilty of consuming alcohol while on duty on July 19, 2022.
Proctor was accused of drinking alcoholic beverages with dinner while on duty and then driving an MSP cruiser.
Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble of the MSP said in the statement Wednesday:
As Superintendent, my role demands that I do what is in the best interest of the Department. My decision to terminate Mr. Proctor follows a thorough, fair and impartial process. I have weighed the nature of the offenses, their impact on our investigative integrity, and the importance of safeguarding the reputations of our dedicated women and men in the State Police.
Michael Proctor’s family, via a public relations firm, also released a statement regarding the news of his termination from the Massachusetts State Police.
The statement reads:
We are truly disappointed with the trial board’s decision as it lacks precedent, and unfairly exploits and scapegoats one of their own, a trooper with a 12-year unblemished record. Despite the Massachusetts State Police’s dubious and relentless efforts to find more inculpatory evidence against Michael Proctor on his phones, computers and cruiser data, the messages on his personal phone – referring to the person who killed a fellow beloved Boston Police Officer – are all that they found. The messages prove one thing, and that Michael is human – not corrupt, not incompetent in his role as a homicide detective, and certainly not unfit to continue to be a Massachusetts State Trooper.
Proctor and his detectives led a meticulous and thorough investigation of integrity, and despite today’s wrongful termination, and great harm and defamation this case has inflicted on him and his family, Proctor still believes justice will be served. He is grateful for the unrelenting support of the union and the men and women of the Massachusetts State Police. His heart is always with the family of Officer John O’Keefe who continue to endure a prolonged and unimaginable nightmare.
Brian Williams, President of the State Police Association of Massachusetts released a statement regarding Proctor’s firing:
The Department’s decision to sacrifice Trooper Proctor to appease the media rather than making a decision based on the facts and evidence presented during the trial board is disappointing but not surprising. Calling the trial board process flawed is an understatement. Rather than being comprised of individuals who are impartial and guided by facts and evidence, the trial board members are commissioned officers who are guided by the potential impact their decision on someone else’s career could have on their own.
In matters involving the freedom and livelihood of others, facts should matter. An internal investigation and a federal investigation both concluding there was no corruption, collusion, or conspiracy should matter. Sensationalism and innuendo blurred by the infinite number of blogs, social media sites and traditional news outlets available with a couple clicks on a computer should not.
Our members are human. Humans make mistakes. And mistakes have consequences. The inappropriate language Trooper Proctor used in private text messages read aloud in open court were mistakes that may warrant discipline and corrective action. However, the Association believes that Trooper Proctor’s termination is excessive. Trooper Proctor has taken responsibility for the language used and comments made while under the stress and emotions that come with a homicide investigation. Unfortunately, the decision to terminate was guided by expedience, the relentless drumbeat of conspiracy theorists and the intense glare of the media spotlight. Sadly, in the end it was easier for the Department to terminate Michael Proctor than it was for them to stand tall and face the critics.
Attorney Daniel Moynihan also issued a statement on behalf of Proctor, stating that he will represent Proctor in an appeals process:
Michael Proctor has served the Mass State Police as an exemplary Trooper for the past 12 years. Until this Order of Termination by the Department, he has never been disciplined in any manner. He quickly rose through the ranks of the Department to the rank of Detective in the latter part of 2019. After a bit more than 2 years, as a Detective, he was assigned to work on the Karen Read case
Michael 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 and the testimony at the recent Trial Board by commissioned officers of the Department confirmed that fact.
Michael Proctor’s termination is a decision which was pre-determined months ago by the Department, following the mistrial on July 1, 2024. However, 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.
