Karen Read sues the police agencies that investigated her Boston police
boyfriend's death
[June 05, 2026]
By LEAH WILLINGHAM
BOSTON (AP) — Karen Read has filed a lawsuit against the Massachusetts
State Police and the town of Canton, alleging misconduct and negligence
in the investigation that led to her prosecution in the death of her
Boston police officer boyfriend.
The lawsuit filed Thursday in Bristol County Superior Court argues that
Read's acquittal last June revealed “an embedded culture of bigotry,
misogyny, systemic failures, and institutional rot at the very core of
both organizations.” It alleges that the town and the police department
were negligent in the hiring, training and supervision of officers and
seeks damages for legal fees, lost income, emotional distress and
reputational harm, among other claims.
The complaint reproduces dozens of text messages, recordings and other
communications attributed to former state trooper Michael Proctor and
former Canton police Sgt. Sean Goode. Among them are messages in which
Proctor referred to Read as a “whack job” and wrote that he hoped she
would kill herself. The lawsuit also cites messages that it says
included use of the n-word and, in one instance, a comment by Proctor
that “Hitler was really on to something.”
Read's lawyers argue that those materials show both men were unfit to
participate in the investigation and that their conduct reflected
broader failures in oversight by state and local law enforcement.
In a statement on Thursday, State Police Superintendent Col. Geoffrey
Noble called Proctor’s messages “racist, sexist and abhorrent” and said
they supported his decision to fire the former trooper. Noble said the
comments did not reflect the values of the department and pointed to
changes that have been made since he became superintendent. He also
noted that the investigation predated his tenure.
“These disturbing messages are entirely inconsistent with any basic
standard of decency and certainly with the expectations of a
Massachusetts State Trooper," Noble said, adding that agency officials
are, "keenly aware of the ways in which this misconduct harmed the
public trust on which our mission depends.”
The town of Canton said it learned of the lawsuit through news reports
and a press release from Read’s legal team and had not yet been served
with the complaint. The town said it had “the utmost faith and
confidence” in Police Chief Michael Daniels and disputed what it
described as “broad stroke characterizations” of Canton police officers
contained in the lawsuit. Officials said the department has implemented
recommendations from an outside audit and is modernizing the agency.
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Karen Read speaks after she was found not guilty of second-degree
murder June 18, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds,
File)
Proctor’s attorney, Matt Hamel, told NBC10 Boston that focusing on
“anything other than Ms. Read’s own conduct” was “telling and
predictable” and said “anything Mr. Proctor did or said in his
personal life, years before Officer O’Keefe was killed, had no
bearing whatsoever on the investigation of Karen Read.”
Read walked out of court a free woman about a year ago after more
than three years and two trials over the death of her boyfriend,
Boston police officer John O’Keefe, who was found on the suburban
lawn of a fellow officer’s home after a night of heavy drinking
during a snowstorm.
Prosecutors said Read hit O’Keefe with her SUV on the January 2022
night of a party, leaving him to die in a blizzard. Read faced
charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene.
The jury acquitted her of those charges, but convicted her of a
lesser charge for drunken driving.
Her lawyers successfully defended her, painting a sinister picture
of police misconduct and theorizing that O’Keefe was in fact killed
by colleagues who then covered it up.
The trial centered in part on lead investigator Michael Proctor,
whom defense attorneys described as biased against Read from the
beginning. The Massachusetts 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 became a
central figure for Read supporters who believe the investigation was
tainted.
Goode was placed on leave in November 2025 when the town was
notified about allegations of misconduct. He resigned earlier this
week, according to news outlets.
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