Karen Read update: Fired lead investigator on witness list for 2nd trial in Boston cop John O’Keefe’s death

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Former Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, who was fired last month for his role in the Karen Read investigation, is on the witness list for her second trial, court documents revealed Monday.

Jurors were seen shaking their heads during Proctor’s testimony at her first trial, which ended with a hung jury. In a series of text messages that were read in court, he called Read a “wack job,” a “babe… with no a–” and a “c—.” He added that he wished she would kill herself and joked about looking through her phone for nude selfies.

He was the lead investigator into the death of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, Read’s boyfriend at the time of his death, in January 2022.

KAREN READ’S 2ND MURDER TRIAL SET TO START IN DEATH OF BOYFRIEND COP: WHAT TO KNOW

Karen Read gives John O’Keefe a kiss on the side of his head in an undated photograph. (Courtesy of Karen Read)

Proctor has declined to comment on the case, but his wife and sister – also on the witness list – previously told Fox News Digital his texts did not compromise the investigation.

“At the end of the day, a beloved police officer and honorable man was killed,” his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, told Fox News Digital earlier this month.

“The prosecution believes it’s an open-and-shut case, and the defense knows this, too. So, their tactic is to put my husband, the lead investigator, on trial for sending texts on his personal phone to his friends and family.”

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Those texts led to an internal investigation and Proctor’s firing, and experts say the fallout from them played a role in the original mistrial.

At the top of the witness list, which came in alphabetical order, is Aidan Kearney, a local news blogger who was charged with harassing and intimidating witnesses during the first trial.

Other names include Brian Higgins, an ATF agent who was among several members of law enforcement inside a house party at the same address where O’Keefe was found dead outside the following morning; Brian Albert, the homeowner, along with several members of his family; accident reconstruction expert Dr. Daniel Wolfe, and dozens of others.

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Former Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor takes the stand during Karen Read’s first murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court. (Kayla Bartkowski/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

JUROR IN KAREN MISTRIAL JOINS HER DEFENSE TEAM FOR RETRIAL

Judge Beverly Cannone on Monday also granted the prosecution’s request to block testimony from Michael Easter, a retired FBI agent. He was expected to dissect the case’s original investigators’ alleged failures to adhere to standard investigative policies and police protocols. 

Read the witness list:

Read faces charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene of a deadly accident in connection with O’Keefe’s death.

Aidan Timothy Kearney speaks with a reporter outside Norfolk Superior Court on Monday, July 1, 2024 in Dedham, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

JUROR IN KAREN MISTRIAL JOINS HER DEFENSE TEAM FOR RETRIAL

Prosecutors accuse her of backing into him with her Lexus SUV and leaving him to die in a snowstorm.

She has maintained her innocence, and her defense is alleging that she is being framed as part of a cover-up.

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Karen Read smiles during a news conference in front of Norfolk Superior Court after a judge declared a mistrial on Monday, July 1, 2024 in Dedham, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

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An autopsy found the cause of his death to be blunt force trauma to the head and hypothermia.

O’Keefe had skull fractures, brain bleeding, swollen black eyes and cuts to his right arm, but the forensic pathologist held off on calling it a homicide, leaving the manner of death undetermined.

Officer John O’Keefe poses for his official portrait. (Boston Police Department)

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The second trial begins Tuesday.