Two other state police officers are under investigation

BOSTON (AP) — Two more Massachusetts state police officers who testified in the murder trial of Karen Read in the death of her boyfriend, a Boston police officer, are now under internal investigation, the Massachusetts State Police said Wednesday.

Detective Lt. Brian Tully and Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik are being investigated along with the lead investigator in the case, State Trooper Michael Proctor. It was also determined that there was insufficient evidence against a fourth state trooper, Lt. John Fanning, to prove allegations that he violated state police regulations by failing to perform his duties as a supervisor.

A spokesman for the Massachusetts State Police declined to comment further “out of fairness and the integrity of the pending investigation results.” A spokesman for the State Police Association of Massachusetts declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

Most of the focus has been on Proctor, who was relieved of his duties after the trial revealed he had sent vulgar text messages to colleagues and family, calling Read a “nutcase” and telling his sister he wished Read would “kill himself.” He said it was a figure of speech and his emotions got the better of him.

The defense also said he should have recused himself from the investigation because he had personal relationships with several of the people involved in the case. Read’s lawyers also questioned the sloppiness of the police work: the crime scene was left unsecured for hours; the home of Boston police Detective Brian Albert was not searched; blood-stained snow was picked up with red plastic cups; and a leaf blower was used to clear snow.

Proctor was on pay until earlier this month, when a state police hearing board changed the suspension to an unpaid suspension, effective immediately. Meanwhile, an internal investigation could lead to charges against him, and there is a federal investigation into the state police’s handling of the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said it neither confirmed nor denied an investigation.

Read is accused of driving her SUV into a snowstorm in January 2022, leaving John O’Keefe to die. Her two-month trial ended when jurors declared they were hopelessly deadlocked and a judge declared a mistrial on the fifth day of deliberations.

The judge announced Monday that she will hear oral arguments on the defense’s motion to dismiss two of the three charges against her on August 9. A retrial is scheduled for January 27.