Karen Read murder case verdict reached after deadlocked first trial
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Karen Read, recently acquitted of murder charges related to the death of her police officer boyfriend, has returned to the legal arena. She is pursuing a new lawsuit against both the Town of Canton and the Massachusetts State Police, accusing them of gross mishandling of the investigation. This legal action follows her recent court victory and raises serious allegations about the conduct of the authorities involved.

The lawsuit, a detailed 87-page document obtained by News Agency, was filed in Bristol Superior Court on Thursday morning. It paints a troubling picture of deep-rooted issues within these organizations, highlighting “a culture steeped in bigotry, misogyny, systemic failures, and institutional decay.” These claims suggest that major flaws in the way the investigation was conducted might have impacted the case significantly.

Included in the court documents are exchanges of explicit messages between former lead investigator, ex-Trooper Michael Proctor, and former Canton Police Sergeant Sean Goode. These messages are said to reveal extensive misconduct and negligence in the investigation of John O’Keefe’s death in 2022. Disturbingly, one message allegedly sent by Goode reads, “[S]he’s a jew…so def puts out,” which exemplifies the type of language and attitude that fuels Read’s allegations.

In addition to Goode’s texts, the lawsuit highlights messages from Proctor, in which he allegedly used derogatory terms to describe Read, calling her a “retarded,” “whack job c—,” and making disparaging remarks about her appearance. Such language underscores the hostile environment Read claims to have faced.

Back in June 2025, Karen Read was captured leaving Norfolk County Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts, having been found not guilty of the murder of John O’Keefe. The case had garnered significant public attention, and this latest legal maneuver suggests that the reverberations of the trial are far from over. As the lawsuit unfolds, it is set to shed more light on the practices within the Canton Police and the Massachusetts State Police.

The filing also points to messages allegedly sent by Proctor, in which he referred to Read as a “retarded,” “whack job c—,” with “no a–.” 

In a statement released to the media, attorneys Alan Jackson, Damon Seligson, and Aaron Rosenberg alleged the two law enforcement agencies fostered “a culture of bias and corruption that they built, tolerated, and hid from the public for years.”

Karen Read gives John O’Keefe a kiss on the side of his head in an undated photograph. (Karen Read for News Agency)

“Michael Proctor and Sean Goode did not slip through the cracks; they are emblematic of the failure to responsibly exercise the trust and faith the public puts in these institutions,” the attorneys added.

Read was acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges last year following a mistrial in the death of O’Keefe.

Karen Read speaking to media outside Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass.

Karen Read and her legal team address the media outside Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Mass., on June 18, 2025. Read was found not guilty of the murder of her boyfriend John O’Keefe. (Richard Beetham/News Agency)

At the time, prosecutors alleged Read drunkenly struck O’Keefe with her SUV and left him to freeze to death in the snowy front yard of a friend’s home in nearby Canton. However, her defense team successfully argued that Read was not responsible for O’Keefe’s death. 

The development comes just days after Goode, who responded to the scene of O’Keefe’s death and testified in Read’s first trial, resigned from the Canton Police Department following an investigation into alleged misconduct, according to Boston 25. Authorities have not revealed if the probe is connected to Read’s case.

In 2025, Proctor was fired from his position within the state police after his text messages sent about Read were read in her first trial. 

Read is also facing a wrongful death lawsuit filed by O’Keefe’s family, and has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against multiple witnesses who testified against her in both murder trials.

“Karen Read was acquitted of every charge related to John O’Keefe’s death — and now the agencies that negligently permitted virulent misogynists and bigots to target her will answer for what they built, what they concealed, and what they did to her,” Read’s attorneys wrote. “The days of hiding behind badges and promotions while peddling vile bigotry are over. The truth is coming, and with it an unflinching reckoning.” 

News Agency reached out to the Town of Canton, Massachusetts State Police and Read’s attorneys for comment. 

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