Karen Read Gets a Huge Win as the Mass. State Police Fire Lead Investigator Michael Proctor

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It's been a rough offseason for the Karen Read defense team for any number of reasons. Not the least of which was the federal investigation into how the Canton Police and Massachusetts State Police conducted the investigation into Boston PD Officer John O'Keefe's death has been a total dead end. That's a biggie because, from the very beginning, so much of the Free Karen Read movement's hopes have be predicated on visions of stern-looking men in blue windbreakers with "FBI" on the back leading  local law enforcement figures away in handcuffs. But that turned out to be nothing but a fantasy. 

And yet, with the retrial set to begin in just a couple of weeks, they've gotten the next best thing:

Source - Disgraced Trooper Michael Proctor has been fired.

Massachusetts State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble announced that he had accepted the MSP Trial Board’s recommendation to terminate Michael Proctor’s employment for failing to uphold agency standards, particularly regarding his conduct while as the lead investigator in the Karen Read case.

Proctor’s dismissal is listed as a “dishonorable discharge.”

Those last couple of words are actually kind of ironic. Since it's talk of a different kind of dishonorable discharge that ultimately cost Proctor his career. Specifically his text about Read having a "leaky balloon knot" that "leaks poo":

Thanks to those hilariously witty zingers he sent to his coworkers, family and friends, Proctor is now out of a job that according to state records, paid him $184,000. And there are guys on the force who are such whores for overtime that they've made north of $500K in a single year. But now Proctor is unemployed. Hope the laughs were worth setting his career on fire. Tell the Dauphin his jest will savour but of shallow wit, when thousands weep more than did laugh at it

No matter what else (former) Trooper Proctor did during his stint at the MSP, however many cases he cracked, lives he saved, babies he delivered, perps he brought to justice, he'll forever be remembered for those texts. Calling his one and only suspect "a cunt." Telling other LEOs he looked for nudes on her phone but came up empty, which is no big deal because she's go "no ass." "Fuck her." "Bitch." "Retarded." And of course, sharing details about her digestive system. All of which the judge made him read aloud in court like a kid getting caught passing notes in school:

But honestly, that's all just a distraction from the real issue. Jingling keys that take attention away from the true ethical violations Proctor committed. Which is taking the lead on the investigation into a dead cop found in the front yard of his personal friend. Which is straight up corruption, no matter how you look at it. The fact he didn't immediately recuse himself and hand the case over to someone who didn't have Brian Albert's son Colin as the ring bearer at his wedding makes him crooked as a dog's hind leg and should've gotten him at least removed from this investigation. But once Albert's wife Julie texted she wanted to get him a gift - presumably to thank him for his extreme lack of interest in talking to anyone at the crime scene - and he replied she should get one for his wife instead? That's a firing all day long. 

So yes, this a big pelt on Karen Read's saddle. Now the Commonwealth has to present a witness who just got fired in disgrace. They have no choice. They can't possibly prosecute the trial without his testimony. And all the defense will have to do is hammer away at him for being a corrupt ex-cop who got shitcanned over this particular matter. Good luck to the state trying to convince a jury this guy is on the level while he's doing the Out of Work Jerk thing. 

If nothing else, it's going to make Proctor's testimony appointment viewing. They can't start this retrial soon enough.