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San Francisco Chronicle
10 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Investigator and jurors speak out about Karen Read murder trial in aftermath of not guilty verdict
Two jurors and the lead investigator in murder trial of Karen Read have come forward to comment about the case since a jury returned a not guilty verdict earlier this week. Read, 45, was charged with second-degree murder by authorities who said she intentionally hit Boston police officer John O'Keefe with her car after a night of drinking in the suburbs. The high-profile case culminated in a not guilty verdict on murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene charges Wednesday. The jury found Read guilty of operating a vehicle while under the influence. The trial has centered in part on lead investigator Michael Proctor, who defense attorneys described as biased against Read from the beginning. The State Police Trial Board found Proctor guilty of sending crude and defamatory text messages about Read while leading the investigation into her. He was fired and has drawn ire from Read supporters who believe he played a key role in a cover-up to frame her. Proctor told NBC's 'Dateline' that the idea he is corrupt and framed Read is a 'ridiculous' accusation. He specifically said an accusation that he cracked Read's taillight to make it look like she backed into O'Keefe is 'absolutely not" true. 'I laugh because it's such a ridiculous accusation,' Proctor told the program. 'There's not one piece of evidence or fact to support that because it did not happen.' The judge in the case announced via court papers Wednesday that the jurors' names would be sealed from public view due to safety concerns. But one of the jurors, who identified himself only as 'Jason' in an interview with TMZ, said he did not believe Read collided with O'Keefe. He also said he did not think investigators planted taillight pieces at the scene to frame Read. 'I don't really know if there was a cover-up or not. I know that's the big conspiracy about it but I don't really know. All I know is there was a lot of holes in their investigation,' the juror said. Another juror, Paula Prado, told local news stations her mind changed about the case over the course of the last three weeks. At first, she thought Read was guilty of manslaughter, but her opinion changed as the case progressed. 'As the weeks passed by, I just realized there was too many holes that we couldn't fill. And there's nothing that put her at the scene in our opinion, despite just dropping John O'Keefe off,' Prado told media. Massachusetts State Police said in a statement that it extends its 'sincerest condolences to the loved ones of Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe.' The statement said the the events of the last three years have 'challenged' the department to reviews it actions and improve accountability and oversight. 'Under my direction as colonel, the state police has, and will continue to, improve in these regards. Our focus remains on delivering excellent police services that reflect the value of professionalism and maintain public trust,' Colonel Geoffrey Noble said in the statement. The jurors, state police and Proctor are not the first to speak out about the verdict. Some of the key witnesses in the trial released a joint statement Wednesday in which they called the not guilty ruling a 'devastating miscarriage of justice.' The joint statement was issued by several people including Brian Albert, who owned the home where the party took place, and Jennifer McCabe, Albert's sister-in-law, who was with Read and O'Keefe on the night of O'Keefe's death. Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey said only: 'The jury has spoken.'
Associated Press
22-04-2025
- Associated Press
Live updates: Opening statements set to begin in Karen Read retrial
Opening statements are set to begin Tuesday in Karen Read's second murder trial over the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend. Update: Date: Title: Supporters of Read are outside the courthouse Content: A few dozen supporters of Karen Read — many holding American flags, some holding signs of support for her — stood in front of the courthouse before moving a block away to comply with a court-ordered buffer zone. The crowd was much smaller than during the first trial, when dozens created a circus-like atmosphere outside the courthouse. Ashlyn Wade, a Read supporter from Canton, where O'Keefe was killed, said, 'I'm here for justice. The murderer going to jail and Karen being exonerated — that would be justice.' The vibe among supporters was like a reunion, with people hugging one another and calling out their names. Update: Date: Title: Lead investigator who sent sexist and crude texts about Read was fired in March Content: The lead investigator in the case was fired in March after a disciplinary board found that he had sent sexist and crude texts about her to his family and colleagues. After Read's trial ended in a mistrial, Massachusetts State Police launched an internal affairs investigation into State Trooper Michael Proctor. The department then suspended him without pay. That investigation culminated with Superintendent Col. Geoffrey Noble accepting the trial board's recommendation. The State Police Trial Board found Proctor guilty of sending 'derogatory, defamatory and disparaging and/or inappropriate text messages' about Read while leading the investigation into her. He was also found guilty of providing sensitive and confidential information about the case to people outside of law enforcement and consuming alcohol while on duty. It recommended that he be fired. ▶ Read more about the firing of the lead investigator Update: Date: Title: The second trial will likely look similar to the first Content: It will be held in the same courthouse before the same judge, and dozens of Read's passionate supporters are again expected to rally outside. The charges, primary defense lawyers and many of the nearly 200 witnesses will also be the same. The biggest difference will be the lead prosecutor, Hank Brennan. A former prosecutor and defense attorney who was brought in as a special prosecutor after the mistrial, Brennan has represented several prominent clients, including notorious Boston gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger, and experts think he might be more forceful than Lally was in arguing the case. Update: Date: Title: The defense's double jeopardy argument failed Content: Soon after the mistrial, Read's lawyers set out to get the main charges dropped. They argued Judge Cannone declared a mistrial without polling the jurors to confirm their conclusions. Defense attorney Martin Weinberg said five jurors indicated after the trial that they were only deadlocked on the manslaughter count and had unanimously agreed that she wasn't guilty of second-degree murder and leaving the scene, but that they hadn't told the judge. The defense said that because jurors had agreed Read wasn't guilty of murder and leaving the scene, retrying her on those counts would amount to double jeopardy. But Cannone rejected that argument, as did the state's highest court, a federal court judge, and an appeals court. Prosecutors had urged Cannone to dismiss the double jeopardy claim, saying it amounted to 'hearsay, conjecture and legally inappropriate reliance as to the substance of jury deliberations.' Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally argued that the jurors never indicated they had reached a verdict on any of the charges, were given clear instructions on how to reach a verdict, and that the defense had ample opportunity to object to the mistrial declaration. Update: Date: Title: A rocky relationship turns deadly Content: Read, who worked as a financial analyst and as a Bentley College adjunct professor before she was charged, faces second-degree murder and other charges. After a night out drinking, prosecutors say Read, who is 45, dropped off O'Keefe at the house party just after midnight. As she made a three-point turn, prosecutors say, she struck O'Keefe before driving away. She returned hours later to find him in a snowbank. As they did at the first trial, prosecutors will try to convince jurors that Read's actions were intentional. They are expected to call witnesses who will describe how the couple's relationship had begun to sour before O'Keefe's death. Among them will be his brother, who testified during the first trial that the couple regularly argued over such matters as what Read fed O'Keefe's children, and that he witnessed a 2021 fight the couple had in Cape Cod over how his brother treated her. The brother's wife testified that Read told her the couple had argued in Aruba after she caught O'Keefe kissing another woman. Update: Date: Title: What to know about this trial Content: The retrial of Karen Read over the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend starts Tuesday, after the jury was selected last week. Read is accused of striking John O'Keefe with her SUV in 2022 and leaving him to die alone in the snow outside of a house party in the town of Canton, a suburb about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Boston. She has been charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a vehicle under the influence and leaving the scene. After the trial, several jurors came forward to say the group was unanimous in finding Read not guilty of the most serious charge, second-degree murder, and a lesser charge. Despite attempts by Read's lawyers to get those charges dismissed, she will face the same counts as she did at her first trial. They also failed to have the entire case tossed, arguing governmental misconduct. Read's attorneys had filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court for a delay in the trial, contending that trying her again on second-degree murder and leaving the scene would amount to double jeopardy. The high court denied the delay and is expected to consider her appeal April 25. ▶ Read more about this case
Boston Globe
13-03-2025
- Boston Globe
Family of State Police Trooper Michael Proctor blasts Karen Read for making ‘egregiously false statements'
Elizabeth Proctor referred to text messages her husband sent to friends and coworkers in the early stages of the Read investigation, in which he spoke crudely of seeking nude photos on her phone, mocked her medical condition, and maligned her as a 'whack job.' Proctor was Prosecutors allege she backed her Lexus SUV Read's Advertisement In the statement, Elizabeth Proctor said Read's lawyers are 'unabashedly creating false narratives and distracting the public and potential jurors from clear-cut evidence. " Her words were echoed by Proctor's sister, Courtney Proctor. 'Michael — and so many others in his line of work — see horrible things every day and may at times need to vent personally," she said. 'He saw a fellow officer die a horrible, tragic death. Who among us has not said something regrettable in moments of stress, shock, or sadness? And how would you feel if the contents of your personal phone were questionably released to the public without full context?' The text messages came to light as part of No one has been charged with any federal crimes in connection with the case, and special prosecutor Hank Brennan said 'Unfortunately, we know that by speaking out, more harassment will be unleashed on our family,' Elizabeth Proctor said in her statement. 'But we can no longer stand by and silently watch Michael's character be attacked and disparaged so unfairly. After exhaustive investigations at both the state and federal level, and a grand jury, only one person has been charged with a crime, the defendant Karen Read.' Meanwhile, Read's lawyers and prosecutors have filed dozens of motions this week related to expected witnesses, evidence, and legal arguments in the coming retrial. Among them is a prosecution motion to bar Read's lawyers from making a third-party culprit argument, and a defense motion to allow them to inform the jury that two crash reconstruction analysts were initially hired by the federal government. Advertisement The two witnesses, from the Philadelphia-based company ARCCA, were initially hired as part of the Justice Department probe and While that was technically true, Read's lawyers As for Proctor, he has been suspended without pay for months, and he had another appearance scheduled Thursday before a State Police Trial Board, according to The board will recommend sanctions to Col. Geoffrey Noble, who leads the agency. Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report. Travis Andersen can be reached at
