“Countdown to Justice: Read’s Trial Set to Commence Next Month”

TFD – As the trial of Karen Read looms on the horizon next month, delve into the intricate details of a case marked by controversy, including an internal investigation involving a state trooper. Discover the complexities surrounding Officer John O’Keefe’s death and the twists that have gripped a Massachusetts suburb.

Authorities revealed on Thursday that a state trooper who was looking into the killing of a Boston police officer is now being investigated, adding even more intricacy to a case that has polarized a Massachusetts suburb.

Trooper Michael Proctor is one of the primary investigators investigating the death of Officer John O’Keefe, and the Massachusetts State Police announced that it has launched an internal inquiry into a “possible violation of department policy” against him. It did not go into detail on the nature of the investigation.

Investigators claim that in January 2022, O’Keefe was hit by Karen Read, his girlfriend, in the Boston suburb of Canton with her SUV, and that she then abandoned him to perish in the snow.

Nevertheless, Read’s defense team claims that he was brutally attacked in a fellow Boston police officer’s Canton home that evening and that Read was the victim of a cover-up to keep others within the house safe. According to Read, she drove to O’Keefe’s residence to sleep after dropping him off outside the house just after midnight after they left a bar because she wasn’t feeling well.

About six hours later, O’Keefe’s body was discovered outside the house. Read has entered a not guilty plea to charges of second-degree murder, driving while intoxicated, and fleeing the scene of an accident.

It is unclear from the Massachusetts State Police’s statement whether Proctor’s alleged infraction is connected to Read’s case. In a statement to CNN on Thursday, a State Police official stated, “Trooper Proctor remains on full duty.”

“Please take note that neither the nature of the alleged violation nor its relationship to a specific case is being specified by us.”

A representative for the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, which is handling Read’s case, named David Traub informed CNN that the office is aware of the probe. The speaker stated that Proctor is still “on full duty and his responsibilities within our office have not changed.”

The inquiry is released that same week. Proctor’s relationship with important witnesses in the case was allegedly not properly disclosed, according to Read’s defense team. Attorney Alan Jackson claimed in a hearing on Tuesday that Proctor’s close relationship with the homeowner’s family and his correspondence with them both before and after O’Keefe’s passing were disclosed in text messages.

“We have been stating that there is a conflict since September 2022 in motions that we have filed with the Commonwealth and before this court. You’re not looking into the dispute. The grand jurors were never briefed on that conflict. And we’ve been turned down at every turn,” Jackson remarked on Tuesday in court.

Michael DiStefano, Proctor’s lawyer, stated that his client is assisting with the investigation.

In a statement that CNN was able to get, he stated, “Trooper Proctor remains steadfast in the integrity of the work he performed investigating the death of Mr. John O’Keefe.” “To the extent that Trooper Proctor’s private text messages are mentioned in the court proceedings concerning Ms. Read, he humbly submits that the content of the messages in no way undermines the objective investigative steps he and other members of his unit took.”

According to CNN station WFXT, assistant district attorney for Norfolk County Adam Lally stated that the defense is making use of the relationships to divert attention from Read’s purported guilt.

“The trick is a three-card Monte. Card trick, you know. On the side, in the corner. Take a look at everything. Examine this partnership. Lally said, “Look at that relationship.”

Next month is when Read’s trial is supposed to begin.