‘Michael is human, not corrupt’: Family of disgraced Trooper Proctor responds to his firing

The family of disgraced Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor blasted the law enforcement agency’s decision to fire him from the force, defending his “unblemished record.”

Colonel Geoffrey Noble accepted the Massachusetts State Police Trial Board’s recommendation to terminate Proctor from his position as trooper, an agency spokesman announced Wednesday morning.

Proctor was assigned to investigate the death of Karen Read’s Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe. He was relieved of his duty without pay this past summer after a mistrial was declared in Read’s murder case and his last day with the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office followed soon thereafter.

Proctor came under fire for a series of disparaging texts he sent about Read, which he read aloud in court during witness testimony at her first trial. Proctor admitted on the stand that the texts were “unprofessional.” He called Read things like a “whack job” and other derogatory words, he talked about her medical issues and wrote, “No nudes so far,” while going through her phone.

In a statement issued in response to his firing, Proctor’s family expressed disappointment with Noble’s decision, saying it “lacks precedent” and “unfairly exploits and scapegoats one of their own.”

“We are truly disappointed with the trial board’s decision as it lacks precedent, and unfairly exploits and scapegoats one of their own, a trooper with a 12-year unblemished record,” his family said. “Despite the Massachusetts State Police’s dubious and relentless efforts to find more inculpatory evidence against Michael Proctor on his phones, computers, and cruiser data, the messages on his personal phone – referring to the person who killed a fellow beloved Boston Police Officer - are all that they found. The messages prove one thing, and that Michael is human - not corrupt, not incompetent in his role as a homicide detective, and certainly not unfit to continue to be a Massachusetts State Trooper.”

Despite what the family called a “wrongful termination” and the “great harm and defamation” the Read case has inflicted upon him, Proctor “still believes justice will be served.”

“Proctor and his detectives led a meticulous and thorough investigation of integrity, and despite today’s wrongful termination, and great harm and defamation this case has inflicted on him and his family, Proctor still believes justice will be served,” the family added. “He is grateful for the unrelenting support of the union and the men and women of the Massachusetts State Police. His heart is always with the family of Officer John O’Keefe who continue to endure a prolonged and unimaginable nightmare.”

Read is accused of hitting O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV on Jan. 29, 2022, and leaving him to die after a night of drinking. The defense has sought to portray Read as the victim, saying O’Keefe was actually killed inside the Albert family home and then dragged outside and left for dead.

Proctor is allowed to appeal the decision.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW