BROCKTON, Mass. — Former Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor has filed an emergency protective order, stating that he is unavailable to be questioned as a witness in the wrongful death lawsuit involving Karen Read on Monday morning.
The emergency protective order was filed on Friday, citing the previously agreed upon date was no longer workable for him.
Proctor filing this order comes just a day after Read filed a new lawsuit against the Massachusetts State Police and the Canton Police Department, alleging a system-wide failure of law enforcement led to her wrongful prosecution over three years.
The lawsuit alleges negligence, civil conspiracy, and misconduct tied to the investigation into John O’Keefe’s death, claiming investigators deliberately focused on Read from the start while ignoring other possible suspects due to a “biased and predetermined” case against her.
Read was found not guilty of the death of O’Keefe last year.
In the 87-page filing, a slew of vulgar, profanity-laced text messages between Proctor and Officer Sean Goode highlight the rampant use of derogatory racial remarks aimed at African Americans and Asians, as well as offensively explicit references to women.
Proctor, who served as the lead investigator in the Read murder case, was fired from his role within the state police in March 2025. He was relieved of his duty without pay after a mistrial was declared in Read’s first trial, and his last day with the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office followed soon thereafter.
Proctor came under fire for a series of disparaging texts he sent about Read, which he read aloud in court during her first trial. Proctor admitted on the stand that the texts were “unprofessional.”
He called Read things like a “whack job” and other derogatory words. He also talked about her medical issues and wrote, “No nudes so far,” while going through her phone.
Goode, who responded to the scene of O’Keefe’s death, submitted his resignation from the Canton Police Department this week.
He also testified during Read’s first trial. He was suspended from the department in October 2025 and placed on leave shortly after investigators uncovered additional “troubling” text messages on the phone of fired Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor.
Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble called the recent messages “disturbing,” noting the “racist, sexist, and abhorrent comments absolutely do not reflect the values of the Massachusetts State Police.”
The judge in the case has still ordered for a hearing to be held on Monday morning at 8:45 a.m. and is asking to learn more regarding the reasoning on why Proctor is unavailable for his deposition.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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