Trooper Michael Proctor faces cross examination after juror dismissed for personal reasons in Karen Read trial - Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News (2024)

DEDHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - State police Trooper Michael Proctor returned to the witness stand to face cross examination Wednesday as the Karen Read murder trial continued.

Proctor first took the stand on Monday and revealed graphic text messages he sent to various people, including other state troopers, about Read while he was investigating her.

As parties reconvened in Norfolk Superior Court, Proctor again faced questions about his texts and his relationship with people involved in the case.

Read, 44, of Mansfield, is facing charges including second degree murder after prosecutors said she hit her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, with her SUV and left him to die after dropping him off outside the Canton home of Brian and Nicole Albert on Jan. 29, 2022.

Read’s defense has said she is being framed, saying O’Keefe was actually beaten to death and attacked by a dog during a party inside the Albert home.

Read’s attorneys claim police covered up details and planted evidence to implicate Read in the case. The defense has pointed to Proctor as a key player in the alleged cover-up and raised questions about his handling of evidence.

Proctor served as the lead investigator in the Read case and is currently the subject of an internal affairs investigation by the Massachusetts State Police.

Judge says juror has been dismissed from case

There were no court proceedings on Tuesday. Ahead of Wednesday’s cross examination, 7NEWS legal expert Tom Hoopes said Proctor’s bias against Read could still be separated from the rest of the case the prosecution has built.

Hoopes said the state could have skipped questioning Proctor. But the defense likely would have called him instead.

Read entered the courthouse shortly before 9 a.m. Wednesday with attorneys David Yannetti and Alan Jackson.

Moments later, Judge Beverly Cannone announced one juror had been dismissed from the case.

“It’s personal to that juror,” Cannone said. “It has nothing whatsoever to do with this case.”

With one male juror gone, the jury now consists of 10 women and six men.

Proctor returns to witness stand

Proctor returned to the stand near 9:15 a.m.

As Read listened to more crude descriptions of her anatomy and bodily functions, Jackson grilled Proctor about his text messages.

Through questions, Jackson suggested to the jury that Proctor pinned Read as the suspect almost immediately without investigating inside the Albert home.

“So, before you ever went to the crime scene, before you ever went into the house, only having interviewed three folks, you had this case nice and wrapped up, didn’t you?” Jackson asked.

Proctor responded saying, “Based on the evidence my office uncovered that day: the one shoe discovered at the scene, the one shoe at the hospital, Mr. O’Keefe’s injuries, the broken tail light pieces underneath the snow –“

“Trooper Proctor, I didn’t ask for your explanation, I asked ‘Did you in your mind have this case wrapped up? Was it cut and dry in your mind?’” Jackson said, interjecting.

“Yes,” Proctor responded.

Jackson gave Proctor a definition of the word “integrity” and asked him if he stands by his previous testimony that his texts do not impact the integrity of the Read investigation.

Proctor said he stands by the investigation but said his texts were “juvenile and regrettable.”

Jackson asked Proctor if he lied to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office when he said he did not know members of the Albert of McCabe families. Proctor said he did not know the McCabe’s at all. While he knew Chris and Julie Albert and their son, Colin, he said he “didn’t have a relationship with them.”

Chris is the brother of Brian Albert. Colin is Brian’s nephew.

“So that was a lie?” Jackson asked Proctor, prompting an objection from the prosecution, which was sustained.

Proctor also denied he intentionally kept Colin’s name out of his reports.

In one text, Proctor referred to a woman as a “whack job.” Questioned by Jackson, he said he could not remember whether the text was referring to Read or to the state medical examiner after she initially ruled O’Keefe’s cause of death as undetermined.

Jackson finished his cross examination near 2:15 p.m. Speaking to Proctor, he recited a list of inappropriate things Proctor wrote about Read in texts, including the remark “hopefully she kills herself.”

“Who is ‘she?'” Jackson asked.

“The defendant,” Proctor said.

“Ms. Read?” Jackson asked.

“Correct,” Proctor said.

“My emotions got the best of me based on the fact that Ms. Read hit Mr. O’Keefe with her vehicle and left him to die on the side of the road,” Proctor said. “So, my emotions got the best of me with that figure of speech.”

Proctor answers additional questions from assistant district attorney

On redirect questioning, Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally asked Proctor why he does not like defense attorney David Yannetti.

Proctor launched into a story about Yannetti showing up at his sister’s school on Tuesday. Proctor said Yannetti was asked to leave but, instead of leaving, he said Yannetti asked “Is Corey Proctor in the building? Does she work here?”

In the courtroom while Proctor gave his response, Yannetti threw his hands up in apparent disbelief. Jackson objected.

After an extensive sidebar, Cannone ordered Proctor’s answer be stricken from the record.

Lally continued his redirect questioning and elicited additional testimony from Proctor about gathering evidence indicating Read hit O’Keefe with her car and left him to die in the snow.

Jackson resumed questioning after Lally and asked if the evidence he found gave him license to call Read disparaging things in text messages. Proctor said his emotions got the best of him and soon stepped down.

State police detective begins testimony

State police Det. Lt. Brian Tully testified as the next witness in the Read case.

Tully serves as the commander of the Norfolk County District Attorney’s state police detective unit.

He remained on the stand when court finished for the day near 4 p.m.

A full day of testimony is scheduled for Thursday.

This is adeveloping story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

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