Michael Proctor called Karen Read a "whacko," a "whack job," and referred to the defendant as a slur often referred to as the c-word. He tried to avoid saying that word, but after the defense objected, the judge ordered him to say the word.
The lead investigator in the Karen Read murder case took the stand on Monday.
Prosecutors made the surprising decision to have Massachusetts State Trooper Lt. Michael Proctor spend part of his time on the stand reading a series of damning texts he wrote, likely to get out ahead of the defense team's questioning of the witness.
These included texts in which he referred to Read as a "whacko," a "whack job," and one where he referred to the defendant as a the c-word. He tried to avoid saying that slur, but after the defense objected, the judge ordered him to say the word.
Read is charged with murdering her boyfriend John O'Keefe by hitting him with her car and leaving him outside in the cold and snow to die. Her defense team claims she is being framed in a massive cover-up, and allege Proctor is one of the key players in that cover-up.
On the stand Monday, Proctor also shared the texts he exchanged with a fellow trooper after seizing and searching Read's phone, one of which read: "no nudes so far." He also referred to her as "a babe" with "no ass" and disparaged her "Fall River" accent in a text to friends on the day of O'Keefe's murder.
In another text, someone asked about the fallout the homeowner Brian Albert might have received since O'Keefe's body was discovered on his property.
"Bet the owner of the home will receive some s***," wrote Proctor's friend.
"Nope, homeowner is a Boston cop, too," replied Proctor.
Then, after Read's arrest, Proctor's sister texted to inform him that Albert wanted to buy him a present. Proctor said he never received a gift from the man.
Proctor repeatedly apologized to the jury during his testimony, saying at one point: ”Comments I shouldn’t have made, that I’m not proud of,” Proctor said. “These juvenile, unprofessional comments had zero impact on the facts, the evidence, and the integrity of the investigation."
Proctor is already under fire from the defense for his decision to wait weeks to submit evidence in the case to the police crime lab.
Read's defense team has also gone after Proctor for his close relationship with a number of members of law enforcement connected to the case, including Brian Albert. O'Keefe was found dead in Albert's yard after being invited to a party at his house that night. Albert has not been charged with any crime.
On top of all this this, Proctor is also the focus of an internal investigation by MSP over "a potential violation of Department policy" a spokesperson tells Inside Edition Digital. The reason for the investigation is not being shared by the MSP at this time and the spokesperson said that the trooper "remains on full duty."
The defense has argued that Proctor planted the evidence at the crime scene, a claim that he denied on Monday.
Proctor has not been charged with any crime, and the MSP will not say if the internal investigation into the trooper is related to the Read case.
"Trooper Proctor has been fully cooperative in responding to the investigations conducted by the US Attorney’s Office and the Massachusetts State Police Internal Affairs Unit," Proctor's lawyer Michael R. DiStefano tells Inside Edition Digital. "To be clear, Trooper Proctor remains steadfast in the integrity of the work he performed investigating the death of Mr. John O’Keefe."
Read's fate will be decided after her murder trial in Norfolk County Superior Court, which is expected to last two months. Crowds of people have gathered each day outside the Karen Read trial to cheer on the defendant and at times antagonize O'Keefe's family members and friends, leading some to accuse Read's supporters of witness intimidation. O'Keefe's loved ones were seen in court fighting back tears on Tuesday as the 911 call made the morning that his body was discovered was played for the jury.
O'Keefe had been raising his niece and nephew for eight years at the time of his death, gaining custody of the two in 2014 after the children lost their mother, O'Keefe's sister, to a brain tumor, and their father to a heart attack over just months. O'Keefe's own mother has now lost two of her three children.
Judge Beverly Cannone is presiding over the proceedings and has been quick to admonish both the prosecution and defense when she believesh they have disobeyed her orders. Adam Lally, an assistant district attorney in Norfolk County, has been named the lead prosecutor.
Read's initial defense attorney, David Yannetti, is now her second attorney, while her lead attorney in the case is Alan Jackson. He served as the assistant head deputy for the major crimes division at the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and has previously represented high-profile defendants, including Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Phil Spector.
Jury selection lasted two weeks in the case, which comes almost two years after a grand jury indicted Read.
Read is charged with second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while driving under the influence, and leaving the scene of a collision causing injury or death. She has entered a plea of not guilty to all three counts.
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