Karen Read Shares Disturbing Texts Between Police Officers in Lawsuit
After Karen Read was found not guilty of killing her boyfriend John O'Keefe in 2022, she has sued the Massachusetts State Police and Canton Police. The lawsuit reveals several shocking claims, including a long history of allegedly disturbing text messages between former police officers Michael Proctor and Sean Goode.
After Proctor worked as the lead investigator in Read's case, he was fired by the State Police in March 2025 partially due to messages he sent about Read, 46, that came to light during her first trial in April 2024. One of the texts revealed at the time was Proctor saying he hoped Read "kills herself."
Meanwhile, former Canton police officer Goode resigned on Tuesday, June 2, in the middle of an internal investigation related to the dozens of messages that he and Proctor exchanged starting back in 2013, according to CBS News.
The text messages were obtained as a part of the prosecution of Myles King, who has been accused of killing Marquis Simmons in 2021. Proctor's personal phone was searched as part of the murder trial because he was the lead investigator on the case, per the outlet.
While Proctor's phone was under a protective order, Read's attorneys were given permission to use their findings in future litigation against Massachusetts State Police and Canton Police.
Read previously revealed in an April 2 filing that she planned to sue the two police departments, and the court allowed her to use the text messages.
The recent lawsuit claims that Proctor and Goode made several upsetting comments in their interactions. In one alleged message, Proctor told Goode about a car crash in Canton.
"Actually, take your time, I saw a [n*****] was involved, so I wouldn't rush if you're working. Let them die," Proctor allegedly wrote, according to the complaint.
He then allegedly spoke about a Boston Police Department employee who performed a background check on him early in his career and did not hire him for a position. "That lady was an absolute [c***] rag [n****] who had it in for [me] for some reason," Proctor allegedly wrote in another message.
Read's attorneys went on to claim that Proctor wrote in another message, "It should be ‘punch a [n*****] day' in canton today out of retribution. Any shine u see blast it in the face."
He allegedly wrote in a following message, "America sucks …. Hitler was really on to something then the [f******] US has to step in and ruin it."
Goode was also accused of making offensive comments, including calling Boston Mayor Michelle Wu as a "little [c***]." He also allegedly said that Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey can "suck my [d***]."
Additionally, the outlet reported that Goode has been accused of making a derogatory statement about New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who is Jewish.
Goode also allegedly used racial slurs against Black and Asian people, according to Read's attorneys.
The lawsuit went on to claim that Proctor and Goode had "long-standing and deeply held biases against women."
Several text exchanges featured in the lawsuit showed Proctor and Goode allegedly repeatedly discussing that they had performed sexual acts on women, oftentimes while they were sleeping. The former police officers also allegedly referred to women as "pigs" and other vulgar terms.
Proctor allegedly wrote in one message that he needed "a roofie or something" in order to find someone to have sex with.
Read claimed in her lawsuit that both police departments knew or should have been aware of Proctor and Goode's bigotry, as well as other officers who she believes were unfit to investigate crimes and showed clear bias that bled into their jobs.
The Norfolk County District Attorney's office, which prosecuted Read, had no comment when contacted by Us Weekly about the lawsuit.
"These disturbing messages are entirely inconsistent with any basic standard of decency and certainly with the expectations of a Massachusetts State Trooper. These racist, sexist and abhorrent comments absolutely do not reflect the values of the Massachusetts State Police and are not tolerated within our ranks. They underscore and fully support my decision to terminate Michael Proctor," Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble with the Massachusetts State Police said in a statement to Us.
"As Superintendent, my role requires me to act in the best interest of the Department. In this moment, that means moving forward with a focus on upholding our standards, strengthening accountability, and supporting the honorable women and men of the State Police who serve our communities with professionalism and integrity," he added. "We do so keenly aware of the ways in which this misconduct harmed the public trust on which our mission depends."
The Canton Police Department issued a statement about the lawsuit on its Facebook page on Thursday, June 4, saying that the town "has not been served."
"As such we have nothing to review with legal counsel at this time. We have no comment on the press release issued by the Read legal team," the department added.
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This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 5:46 PM.