After Karen Read found not guilty of killing her boyfriend John O'Keefe in 2022, he filed a bitter lawsuit against the Massachusetts State Police Department and the Canton Police Department — and the court filing puts the former officers at the center of the story: Michael Proctor again Sean Goode.
The student filed a lawsuit in Bristol Superior Court on June 4, 2026, alleging that his charges exposed ” [embedded] a culture of discrimination, misogyny, systemic failure, and institutional decay at the very core of both organizations.” While neither Proctor nor Goode are named as defendants, dozens of their text messages are included throughout the complaint as evidence of what Read's legal team describes as institutional corruption.
Days later, it was confirmed on June 8, 2026, that Proctor would be extradited as part of a wrongful death lawsuit O'Keefe's family filed against Read. However, his court appearance is not the only legal matter he has found himself involved in regarding Read.
Everything you need to know about Proctor, below.
Michael Proctor was the lead investigator in the Karen Read case
Proctor served as the lead investigator in the case against Read after O'Keefe was found injured outside the home of a retired Boston police sergeant. Brian Albert on January 29, 2022. O'Keefe, 46, died of blunt force trauma to the head. Prosecutors accused Read of hitting O'Keefe in his SUV while drunk and leaving him to die in a blizzard – allegations he has always denied.
Proctor's role has been one of the most scrutinized aspects of the case. During Read's first trial in April 2024, prosecutors and defense attorneys released a series of text messages Proctor sent about Read, including one in which he said he hoped to kill himself. The messages, sent by friends and colleagues during the ongoing investigation, fueled defense arguments that Read was the target of a biased and compromised investigation.
In March 2025, the Massachusetts State Police fired Proctor, citing messages revealed during the trial as a key reason.
Michael Proctor and Sean Goode Exchange Text Messages
Goode, a former Canton police officer, resigned on June 2, 2026, amid an internal investigation into dozens of text messages he and Proctor had exchanged since 2013.
A Massachusetts police officer was reportedly seen crying in court after she and her husband were accused of repeatedly raping a teenager they brought to their home. Plymouth police officer Samantha Pelrine and her husband, Daniel Forand, were arrested shortly after being suspended on March 17. The couple were charged. […]
The text messages were originally discovered as part of the prosecution of Myles Kingaccused of murder Marquis Simmons in 2021. Because Proctor was the lead investigator on the case, his phone was searched as part of the murder case. Although Proctor's phone was placed under a protective order, Read's attorneys were given permission to use what they found in future lawsuits against Massachusetts State Police and the Canton Police Department. Read signed off on the upcoming lawsuit in an April 2 filing, and the court allowed his team to use the messages.
Indictment Cites Long Trail of Suspicious Messages
The complaint cites a series of messages Read's attorneys say Proctor and Goode exchanged over a decade. The content is graphic, racist, sexist and, in the words of the Read team, “disgusting.”
In one alleged message about a car crash in Canton, Proctor wrote, “Actually, take your time, see me [n*] you were involved, so I won't rush you if you work. Let them die.”
In one message cited in the filing, Read's attorneys said Proctor wrote, “It should be 'punch a [n*****] day' in canton today because of retaliation. Any light you see is blown in the face.” The message that followed is said to have read, “America sucks…. Hitler was on to something at the time [f***] The US should step in and destroy it. “
Read's lawsuit also alleges that Proctor and Goode had “a long-standing and deep-seated bias against women.” Exchanges in several excerpts from the file show the former officials allegedly discussing sexual acts with women – sometimes while the women were sleeping – and calling the women “pigs” and other derogatory terms. In one alleged message, Proctor wrote that he needed a “roofie or something” to find someone to sleep with.
Read the claims in his lawsuit that both departments knew or should have known about Proctor and Goode's alleged racism, as well as the behavior of other officers who he says are unprepared to investigate crimes and show bias in their jobs.
Police Departments Respond
Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble The Massachusetts State Police issued a strong statement to us. “These disturbing messages are completely inconsistent with any basic standard of respect and certainly with the expectations of a Massachusetts State Trooper. These racist, sexist and abhorrent comments do not reflect the values of the Massachusetts State Police and are intolerable among us. They underscore and fully support my decision to terminate Michael Proctor,” Noble said.
Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman accused of murdering her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, is discussing new details about her case as she heads into her second trial. Read, 45, is accused of killing O'Keefe while drunk in January 2022. Prosecutors say he hit her with his SUV and left her to die in the snow. […]
“As a Superintendent, my role requires me to do things in a way that benefits the Department. At this moment, that means moving forward focusing on raising our standards, strengthening accountability, and supporting the honorable women and men of the State Police who serve our communities with professionalism and integrity,” he added. “We are well aware of the ways in which this misconduct damages the public trust on which our work depends.”
The Canton Police Department addressed the case in a Facebook statement on June 4, 2026, saying the city was “not done.”
“Therefore, there is nothing we can discuss with legal advisors at this time. We have no comment on the statement issued by Read's legal team,” said the Department.
What Karen Learned She Hopes to Take to Claim
Reade broke his silence about the case on today's show on June 5, 2026, along with his lawyer, Alan Jacksonwho said his goals were more than financial damage.
“What you're looking for, Karen, you can't write on a check, is exposure,” Jackson said. “Exposing the corruption that is the DNA of the Massachusetts State Police and the Canton Police Department.”
A jury found Read not guilty of second-degree murder, murder and leaving the scene of a crime after his first conviction ended in a mistrial. He was convicted of only a minor charge of driving while intoxicated.
“This was always our plan, that I had to save my life first,” Read said. “I can't do anything if I'm not free, I had to fight for my freedom for years, and I knew as it happened I couldn't just forget that this happened to me, that I was wronged in this way.
He also added that “release is necessary, but the mistakes have not been completely corrected.”
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
