Karen Read Sues The Police Who Investigated Her For Her Boyfriend’s Murder

Karen Read has sued nan Massachusetts State Police and the municipality of Canton, claiming that misconduct and negligence compromised nan criminal investigation that led to her prosecution for nan decease of her boyfriend, a Boston constabulary officer.

The civilian lawsuit, revenge Thursday successful Bristol County Superior Court, comes astir a twelvemonth aft Read was acquitted of execution charges related to nan decease of John O’Keefe.

In nan filing, Read’s ineligible squad claims her criminal tests exposed “an embedded civilization of bigotry, misogyny, systemic failures, and organization rot” wrong nan town’s constabulary unit and nan authorities rule enforcement agency.

The title requests damages for affectional distress, reputational damage, mislaid net and ineligible fees, alleging that some entities grounded to decently hire, train and supervise their personnel, arsenic reported by nan Associated Press.

A important information of nan suit focuses connected erstwhile Canton Police Sergeant Sean Goode and erstwhile State Trooper Michael Proctor.

Read’s attorneys constituent to communications, recordings and matter messages that they opportunity incorporate derogatory, racist and sexist statements. The filing argues that these materials beryllium some men were unfit to analyse nan lawsuit and item a wide deficiency of oversight.

The suit follows 2 criminal tests concerning nan January 2022 decease of O’Keefe, whose assemblage was discovered extracurricular nan Canton location of different constabulary serviceman during a terrible wintertime storm.

Prosecutors had alleged that Read struck O’Keefe pinch her SUV aft a nighttime of dense drinking and abandoned him successful nan snow. She faced charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving nan segment of an accident.

A assemblage cleared Read of those counts past June, though she was recovered blameworthy of a lesser complaint of driving nether nan influence.

During nan criminal proceedings, Read’s defense squad based on that O’Keefe was killed by different parties who past staged a cover-up. The defense heavy targeted Proctor, nan lead investigator, accusing him of bias. A State Police soul committee past recovered Proctor blameworthy of sending insulting and defamatory texts astir Read during nan inquiry, resulting successful his termination.

Colonel Geoffrey Noble, nan superintendent of nan State Police, addressed nan filing successful a connection connected Thursday. Noble branded Proctor’s matter messages “racist, sexist and abhorrent,” stating that nan messages justified his determination to terminate nan trooper's employment.

“These disturbing messages are wholly inconsistent pinch immoderate basal modular of decency and surely pinch nan expectations of a Massachusetts State Trooper,” Noble said, though he pointed retired that nan investigation occurred earlier he took activity of nan department. He added that officials recognized really nan misconduct damaged nationalist trust.

Goode, nan different serviceman named successful nan lawsuit, resigned earlier this week aft being placed connected administrative time off successful November 2025 pursuing abstracted allegations of misconduct, according to section news reports.