Janice R. Andrews
Two more Massachusetts state troopers involved in the contentious Karen Read case are currently the subject of an internal inquiry, marking a significant development in the case. This comes after a trial that ended earlier this month with a hung jury due to accusations of a cover-up by law police. On Wednesday, authorities made the ongoing probes official, illuminating the persistent unrest among the state’s law enforcement personnel.
Troopers Being Examined
Detective Lt. Brian Tully and Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik are the troopers in question. A Massachusetts State Police representative stated that both officers will remain on active duty while the inquiry is underway, notwithstanding the seriousness of the accusations. Following a duty status hearing, a panel recommended that a third trooper, Michael Proctor, be suspended without pay. This action follows his suspension.
The specifics of the investigations into Tully and Bukhenik have not been made public by the Massachusetts State Police. Col. John Mawn, the acting superintendent of state police, has stated that the department is carefully examining the “serious misconduct” claims that emerged during Read’s trial, especially those pertaining to Proctor, the case’s chief investigator.
Misconduct and Allegations
Proctor worked for the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office, where Detective Lt. Brian Tully oversaw the detective unit. Proctor had sent insulting text messages about Read to a group, including Bukhenik, the trial learnt. Proctor acknowledged in his evidence that he made inappropriate jokes about Read and used disparaging words to characterise her.
Proctor sent Read a message that was especially unsettling: he was looking through his phone and had discovered “no nudes so far.” Read subsequently called this statement a “poor joke” that was “regrettable” and “unprofessional.” Even though these texts were insulting, Proctor said in court that he never received criticism for what he did.
After being removed from the prosecutor’s office after the mistrial, Proctor has not replied to many requests for comment. Likewise, Bukhenik and Tully have not responded to requests for comment, and attempts to get in touch with them have been fruitless.
The Trial and Case
Read’s murder trial resulted in a mistrial following nine weeks of dramatic evidence from several witnesses and five days of jury deliberations. Charges against Karen Read for the killing of her lover, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, on January 29, 2022, included second-degree murder and other offences.
The prosecution said that following a turbulent relationship, Read forced her Lexus SUV into O’Keefe and abandoned him outside the residence of Brian Albert, a fellow Boston police officer. However, Read’s defence said that O’Keefe’s death was probably caused by a brawl at Albert’s party, and it named Albert and another law enforcement officer who had flirtatiously texted Read as potential offenders.
In his deposition, Brian Albert stated that O’Keefe never went inside his house during the celebration and that if he had, he would have been welcomed. A mistrial was declared as a result of the jury’s deadlock in the trial. Since then, the prosecution has promised to retry the case; a new trial date has been scheduled for January 27.
The Massachusetts State Police is still under scrutiny as the investigations into Tully and Bukhenik continue, prompting concerns about possible wrongdoing and the validity of the preliminary probe into John O’Keefe’s death. As further details in this well-known case emerge, the public and legal community may expect to be kept on edge by the events that are currently playing out.
