BOSTON — The lead investigator in the Karen Read case, Trooper Michael Proctor, will be suspended without pay following an internal Massachusetts State Police hearing, officials announced Monday.

Read, 44, of Mansfield, was tried for second-degree murder, manslaughter and other charges related to the death of her boyfriend, Boston cop John O’Keefe, on Jan. 29, 2022. A mistrial was declared on July 1.

Proctor’s two-day testimony during the trial led lawyers to reveal personal texts in which the trooper used degrading and explicit language and went so far as to express hope that Read kill herself, leading to widespread heated criticism of the investigator’s conduct and an internal review by the State Police. The trooper was place on leave the day the mistrial was declared.

State Police officials called a duty status hearing for Proctor on Monday morning, determining whether the trooper would remain on full duty, be placed on restricted duty, be suspended with pay or be suspended without pay.

The board recommended Proctor be suspended without pay, and the colonel accepted the recommendation effective immediately, the department said.

The State Police internal affairs investigation into Proctor remains ongoing, which may result in charges that would be adjudicated by a State Police Trial Board.

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