Karen Read Sues 2 Police Agencies Over Racist Texts in Failed O'Keefe Murder Case
Updated
Updated · Boston Herald · Jun 4
Karen Read Sues 2 Police Agencies Over Racist Texts in Failed O'Keefe Murder Case
3 articles · Updated · Boston Herald · Jun 4
Summary
Bristol Superior Court received Karen Read’s suit seeking unspecified damages from Massachusetts State Police and the Town of Canton, alleging the O’Keefe investigation was tainted by bias and corruption.
Scores of texts cited in the complaint allegedly show former trooper Michael Proctor and former Canton officer Sean Goode exchanging racist, misogynistic and obscene messages, including remarks about a Black motorist and praise for Hitler.
State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble called the messages abhorrent and said they validated Proctor’s firing in March 2025; Goode resigned this week after being on paid leave during an outside misconduct probe.
Read was acquitted after two trials of murder and manslaughter in the 2022 death of boyfriend John O’Keefe, though she was convicted of drunk driving.
An April ruling let Read use the Proctor-Goode texts in civil litigation, widening the fallout from a case that has already damaged trust in both departments.