The investigation of Massachusetts State Police officers connected to the Karen Read case has widened, as two more troopers find themselves at the center of internal scrutiny. Read, accused in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, faces a retrial set for January 2025 after her first trial concluded with a hung jury earlier this month.
According to NBC10 Boston, Detective Lieutenant Brian Tully, Lieutenant John Fanning, and Sergeant Yuri Bukhenik are under investigation by the department. While Fanning was quickly cleared of wrongdoing with the department stating that the allegations could not be proven, or disproven, Tully and Bukhenik remain under investigation. Trooper Michael Proctor, previously involved in the case, was suspended without pay after his texts about Read surfaced during the trial, which included offensive language and exacerbated concerns over the integrity of the investigation.
Proctor admitted in court to sending texts that referred to Read as "a whack job ... c***" and expressed a perverse disappointment in not finding "no nudes" on Read’s phone, as reported by NBC10 Boston. These disclosures at trial raise serious questions about the objectivity, and ethos of the officers involved. Proctor's acknowledgment came with an admission that Fanning and Bukhenik were part of the conversation chain, as detailed in his testimony when asked by Read's defense attorney, Alan Jackson.
In a statement obtained by Boston 25 News, State Police did not provide specifics on the allegations against Tully and Bukhenik but indicated that "Generally speaking, the purpose of an internal affairs investigation is to determine compliance with department rules and regulations." Although Tully was not involved in the offensive text exchanges, his testimony revealed that he took immediate action by reporting Proctor's behavior to State Police command upon discovery.
The ongoing investigations cause implications for the upcoming retrial of Read. Todd McGhee, a former Massachusetts State Police trooper and security expert, told NBC10 Boston that the circumstances necessitate "very, very specific actions to make a statement and to, again, restore that public trust." As the prosecution revises its approach, the defense may find new strengths afforded by the fallout surrounding the state troopers’ conduct.
