The Massachusetts State Police department has seen recent shifts in its personnel in the wake of a mistrial that has echoed through the judicial system and within the ranks of law enforcement. Det. Lt. Brian Tully, previously the unit commander at the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office, has been reassigned during an ongoing internal affairs investigation. Tully was transferred "to a temporary assignment in the Division of Investigative Services," as stated by state police on Friday, a move confirmed by a statement provided to CBS News Boston.
This development comes in the shadow of the mistrial in the Karen Read case, where she stands accused of the 2022 murder of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe. The lead investigator on the Read case, Trooper Michael Proctor, who was under Tully's supervision, was relieved of duty due to unprofessional conduct, this, after the judge declared a mistrial in July. Proctor had admitted to sending offensive text messages about Read, sharing them in a group chat with fellow troopers. He remains on unpaid leave, awaiting the outcome of his own internal affairs review.
Colonel Geoffrey Noble, the new head of the Massachusetts State Police, made the decision to seek a new leader for the detective unit assigned to the Norfolk County DA's Office as part of his initiative to reinvigorate the department's commitment to public safety. State police spokesman Tim McGuirk pointed out the intention behind Tully's reassignment: "Col. Noble has conducted an initial review and believes this decision is in the best interest of the Department’s public safety mission," according to a report by WCVB.
While the particular details of the allegations against Det. Lt. Tully have not been made public, his role in overseeing problematic elements of the Read investigation is clear. Tully himself testified in the Read trial in June, where he reported Proctor's inappropriate messages "up the chain of command." Despite the shift in his duties, Tully will "continue to be available to assist the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office with any cases in which he was previously involved," McGuirk added.
The saga surrounding Karen Read is far from conclusion, with the accused slated for a retrial come January 27, 2025. Her defense argues that she has been framed — that O'Keefe's death was not a result of being struck by her SUV but rather that he was killed indoors and moved outside postmortem.
