Mass. trooper reads private texts about Karen Read aloud in court, leaving some jurors gasping
Wed, June 12, 2024 at 7:14 PM EDT·
Karen Read will stand trial again for the death of Boston police officer John O'Keefe in January 2025. Her first trial was declared a mistrial.
news.yahoo.com
Prosecutors had the trooper read texts he sent his friends and colleagues about the case from his personal cellphone out loud in court, leaving some jurors shaking their heads and quietly gasping,
CBS News reported.
In one thread, he texted state police colleague that he was going through his “r---- client’s phone,"
according to NBC Boston.
"No nudes so far," Proctor said in the message.
On the stand, Proctor said he made a "distasteful joke," and that he was not looking for nude photos, but "location data text communications … more evidence contained within the phone."
In one conversation from the evening of Jan. 29, the day O'Keefe was found dead, Proctor texted his friends Read and O'Keefe "arrived at the house together, got into an argument, she was driving and left," adding, "there’ll be some serious charges brought on the girl." He told jurors he meant that there was already "compelling evidence" against Read.
A friend replied, "is she hot at least," and Proctor responded that Read was a "whack-job," before calling her a vulgar name for a woman.
NBC Boston reported Read's attorney objected, and after Cannone asked if these were his words, Proctor said the word "c---" out loud.
Proctor continued: "she's a babe. Weird Fall River accent though."
He also texted a comment about Read's rear, NBC Boston reported.
When Lally asked Proctor why he would text that, Proctor said they were "unprofessional and regrettable comments (that) are something I’m not proud of and I shouldn’t have wrote in private or any type of setting."