Lead investigator in Karen Read murder probe told friends he ‘searched her phone for nudes,’ trial hears
The lead investigator in the Karen Read murder probe told friends that he had “searched her phone for nudes,” the court heard during the first day of her trial on Monday.
Opening statements got under way in the high-profile trial of the college finance professor who has been charged with murder in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe.
O’Keefe’s body was found in the snow in front of a home in the early hours of 29 January 2022, following a night of partying at a bar in Canton, Massachusetts.
Days later, the 44-year-old professor was arrested and charged with murder. Prosecutors allege that Ms Read ran over her police officer boyfriend during a snowstorm and left him for dead on the freezing front lawn of their friends’ home.
Among the details which emerged in opening statements on Monday were the text messages that the lead investigator in the case, Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, sent to his high school friends.
Reed’s defence attorney David Yannetti told the court that Mr Proctor accessed Read’s phone without a search warrant.
“He told his buddies that he was searching her phone for nude photos, and he was disappointed he hadn’t found any yet,” Yanetti told the court.
“That is the professional and unbiased investigator who was chosen to lead the investigation into the death of John O’Keefe.”
Mr Proctor is now under investigation himself over his handling of the case. Massachusetts State Police announced this March – just weeks before Ms Read’s trial got under way – that Mr Proctor was the focus of an internal investigation for a potential violation of department policy.
The probe came one day after Ms Read’s legal team alleged that Mr Proctor has personal relationships with multiple people involved in the case – something he had failed to disclose.
Mr Proctor was reportedly friends with the Albert family. O’Keefe’s body was found out the front of the Albert property in the snow. One of the family members, Brian Albert, is a Boston police officer.
In a bombshell court hearing in March, Ms Read’s attorneys pointed to apparent text messages between Mr Proctor and the Albert family where they promised to send the trooper a thank you gift “when this is all over”.
The first day of trial also revealed that a hair belonging to O’Keefe was found on the broken tail light of his girlfriend’s car.
Prosecutors pointed to evidence showing the victim’s hair was found on Ms Read’s car, while fragments of her broken tail light were on O’Keefe’s body.
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