"Michael Proctor, the former Massachusetts State Police trooper whose vulgar texts cast a pall over Karen Read 's murder trials, is pushing back on claims he framed Read for killing her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe. Acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges in June, Read is now suing Proctor and several other investigators and witnesses she claims "concocted a plan" to blame her for O'Keefe's 2022 death."
"But in a 25-page filing last week, lawyers for the ex-trooper denied his murder investigation was unlawful, biased, or corrupt, and said he was not determined from the outset to "pin it on the girl," as Read's team has alleged. Proctor's attorneys also say his actions as a trooper were protected under qualified immunity - a doctrine that generally shields police from civil liability for doing their duty - and argued he "acted in good faith, without malice and without corruption.""
"In addition to Proctor, Read's lawsuit names his former State Police superiors, Detective Lt. Brian Tully and Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik, and five witnesses who attended a party at the Canton home where O'Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow: Brian and Nicole Albert, Jennifer and Matthew McCabe, and Brian Higgins. Proctor is the first defendant to file his formal response to the allegations, though the Alberts, McCabes, and Higgins have denounced Read's coverup claims as "a vile work of fiction.""
Karen Read was acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges in June. Read filed a federal lawsuit alleging Proctor and others concocted a plan to blame her for Officer John O'Keefe's 2022 death and that Proctor manufactured evidence while disregarding evidence implicating others. Michael Proctor, a former Massachusetts State Police trooper, responded in a 25-page filing denying an unlawful, biased, or corrupt investigation and denying any intent to pin the crime on Read. Proctor's lawyers say his actions are protected by qualified immunity and that he acted in good faith without malice or corruption. Proctor asks the court to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice and award attorneys' fees. The lawsuit also names former superiors and five party witnesses who have denied the coverup claims.
Read at Boston.com
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