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“My decision to terminate Mr. Proctor follows a thorough, fair, and impartial process.”
Disgraced Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, who rose to infamy over his handling of the Karen Read murder case, has been fired, the agency announced Wednesday.
State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble terminated Proctor at the recommendation of a trial board, which found him guilty of unsatisfactory performance and consuming alcohol while on duty. Noble’s personnel order specifically points to Proctor’s conduct as lead investigator on Read’s case, particularly the vulgar texts he sent to family, friends, and coworkers about the defendant.
“My decision to terminate Mr. Proctor follows a thorough, fair, and impartial process,” Noble said in a statement. “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. This decision reflects our unwavering commitment to upholding our values, enhancing public trust and ensuring the highest standards of service and accountability.”
State Police relieved Proctor of duty soon after Read’s first murder trial ended in a mistrial July 1. He was ultimately suspended without pay as the agency continued its internal affairs investigation into allegations of misconduct.
Speaking on Proctor’s behalf, his attorney, Daniel Moynihan, alleged State Police “pre-determined” the firing months ago.
“Michael Proctor has never denied that he sent derogatory and vulgar text messages in private conversations with personal friends,” Moynihan said. “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.”
Trial board decisions can be appealed to the state’s Civil Service Commission, though State Police have expressed confidence there was sufficient evidence to warrant Proctor’s termination. Moynihan said he looks forward to appealing the decision “in a forum where Michael Proctor will received [sic] actual due process in a fair and impartial hearing.”
What did Proctor do?
Proctor’s texts about Read cast a pall over the trial last summer, and he admitted he “dehumanized” the defendant in calling her a “wack job c**t” and “retarded” and making crass remarks about her appearance and Crohn’s disease. In other messages, Proctor told his sister he hoped Read would kill herself and joked to State Police colleagues about looking for nude photos on Read’s phone.
The former trooper’s “derogatory, defamatory, disparaging, and/or otherwise inappropriate” texts amounted to misconduct, and he “created an image that he was biased in his dealings with a homicide suspect and/or brought otherwise himself and the Massachusetts State Police into disrepute,” according to Noble’s personnel order.
Two of Proctor’s superiors, Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik and Detective Lt. Brian Tully, were previously disciplined after internal probes determined they failed to reprimand Proctor for his texts. Tully, who previously led the State Police detective unit in the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office, forfeited six vacation days and was transferred out of the office. Bukhenik forfeited five vacation days.
Proctor also provided civilians “sensitive and/or confidential information about a homicide victim, potential witnesses, and/or potential investigative steps in the investigation,” Noble wrote.
Read, 45, is accused of drunkenly and deliberately backing her SUV into her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, while dropping him off at a house party in Canton on Jan. 29, 2022. Her lawyers contend she was framed in a vast law enforcement conspiracy and allege Proctor played a role in the coverup. The former trooper has come under fire for his previously undisclosed ties to the Alberts, the locally connected family who owned the home where O’Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow.
Taking the stand in Read’s trial last summer, Proctor acknowledged he “had a few beers” with homeowner Brian Albert’s brother, Canton Police Detective Kevin Albert, while the pair investigated a cold case together on Cape Cod in July 2022. Kevin Albert was disciplined last fall for drinking on the job with Proctor.
Noble’s order notes Proctor operated his department-issued cruiser after drinking on duty.
“Our mission to deliver the highest level of police services depends on the public’s trust in our professionalism and integrity,” Noble said. “It is incumbent upon me, as well as every member of this Department, to hold one another accountable when any member compromises our mission by failing to uphold our values.”
He added: “Finally, recognizing the ways in which this process has affected the family of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, I would also like to renew our condolences to them.”
State Police union, Proctor’s family issue statements on firing
While he agreed the language in Proctor’s texts was a “mistake” potentially worthy of discipline, State Police Association of Massachusetts President Brian Williams called Proctor’s termination “excessive” and questioned the trial board’s neutrality.
“Unfortunately, the decision to terminate was guided by expedience, the relentless drumbeat of conspiracy theorists and the intense glare of the media spotlight,” Williams said in a statement. “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.”
Facts should matter, he argued.
“An internal investigation and a federal investigation both concluding there was no corruption, collusion, or conspiracy should matter,” Williams said. “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.”
Proctor’s family also released a statement Wednesday expressing their disappointment in his firing and defending his work on the Read case.
“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,” the family said. “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 texts prove one thing, they said: “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’s wife and sister spoke out last week to defend the former trooper and highlight some of the harassment their family has purportedly faced since Read’s case became a national spectacle.
“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,” his family said Wednesday. “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.”
Read Noble’s full statement:
“Our mission to deliver the highest level of police services depends on the public’s trust in our professionalism and integrity. It is incumbent upon me, as well as every member of this Department, to hold one another accountable when any member compromises our mission by failing to uphold our values.
“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. This decision reflects our unwavering commitment to upholding our values, enhancing public trust and ensuring the highest standards of service and accountability.
“Finally, recognizing the ways in which this process has affected the family of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, I would also like to renew our condolences to them.”
Read Moynihan’s full statement on Proctor’s behalf:
“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 mis-trial on July 1, 2024. However, we look forward to the appeal of the Department’s decision, in a forum where Michael Proctor will received actual due process in a fair and impartial hearing.”
Read the Proctor family’s full statement:
“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.”
Read Williams’s full statement:
“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.”
Read Noble’s full personnel order:
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