BOSTON — Former Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor did not comment to reporters as he left a hearing where a State Police lawyer, Stephen Carley, outlined the reasons for his termination. Proctor is appealing his firing from the State Police; a move his lawyer claims is the result of public and political pressure.
Carley described Proctor’s conduct using his own words, citing messages he sent to family, friends and co-workers about Karen Read as “Juvenile. Sexist. Disgusting.”
As Proctor listened with his wife and other family members behind him, Carley detailed the misconduct, including a claim that Proctor “while on duty, he consumed one or two beers with an officer from Canton police.”
Proctor’s lawyer, Daniel Moynihan, called his client an “exemplary trooper” who has been made a “scapegoat.” Moynihan argued that Proctor’s behavior did not impact his job performance and stated, “there’s no evidence to show that the integrity of the investigation in the [Read] case was compromised.”
The State Police’s case against Proctor hinges on his personal text messages, which were obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office during a federal investigation into the Karen Read case. Attorney Carley played clips from when Proctor was confronted with his texts during Read’s first trial. Carley also read a message from Proctor that read, “hopefully she kills herself.”
Another clip featured Proctor admitting his “inappropriate joke” about looking for “nudes” of Read.
Moynihan’s defense centers on the idea that, despite the unprofessional nature of the messages, they did not compromise the investigation’s integrity, and that the State Police only took action after public pressure mounted.
Only one witness was questioned Tuesday: Lt. Kevin Dwyer, who conducted Proctor’s internal affairs investigation for the State Police. According to Dwyer’s testimony, Proctor informed his superiors that federal authorities had his personal texts in early February 2024.
Despite this, he was allowed to remain on “full duty” for nearly five months, and it wasn’t until after the messages became public during Read’s murder trial in June that he was suspended and ultimately terminated.
The hearing is scheduled to continue Wednesday. Proctor’s appeal is expected to take months to adjudicate.
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