New Karen Read lawsuit reveals shocking string of racist, obscene texts allegedly between cops

Todd Prussman, Boston Herald on Jun 4, 2026

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BOSTON — Karen Read filed a lawsuit alleging a string of obscene and racist texts between a former Massachusetts State Police trooper and Canton police reveals a “culture of bias and corruption that they built, tolerated, and hid from the public.”

Read’s lawsuit was filed in Bristol Superior Court and seeks unspecified damages.

Among the claims, Read’s attorneys share scores of explosive racist and obscene texts allegedly shared between former State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, the lead investigator in the failed murder case against Read in connection with the death of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, and former Canton Police officer Sean Goode.

In response to a car accident allegedly involving a Black motorist, Proctor tells Goode, “I wouldn’t rush if you’re working. Let them die,” according to the complaint.

In another, Proctor says, “America sucks…. Hitler was really on to something,” according to the complaint.

The lawsuit claims the State Police and Town of Canton “have spent years trying to conceal: an imbedded culture of bigotry, misogyny, systemic failures, and institutional rot at the very core of both organizations.”

State Police Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble in a statement condemned the messages as “abhorrent.”

“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.”

Read was tried twice and ultimately acquitted on charges of second degree murder and manslaughter in connection with O’Keefe’s death.

The Boston cop, who was Read’s boyfriend at the time in a strained relationship, was found dead on the lawn of a home in Canton owned by another former Boston cop in the midst of a snowstorm after a booze-fueled night on the town in January, 2022.

Read was ultimately found guilty of drunk driving. Prosecutors had alleged she backed her Lexus SUV into O’Keefe, killing him.

Goode resigned this week after being on paid administrative leave from the Canton Police Department amid an outside investigation into the alleged misconduct that first came to light during the Read trial.

Proctor was fired by the State Police in March 2025 after a disciplinary board. He initially appealed and then dropped his appeal later that year.

The Town of Canton did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Noble went on to say that in light of Proctor’s communications, as revealed in the Read trial and subsequent lawsuits, the agency is working to rebuild trust with the public.

“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 said. “We do so keenly aware of the ways in which this misconduct harmed the public trust on which our mission depends.”

A judge in Norfolk County Superior Court ruled in April that Read would be allowed to use text messages on Proctor’s phone in civil lawsuits against the State Police and the town of Canton.

The texts were between Proctor and Goode, Read’s attorney Aaron Rosenberg said in court, fighting for the messages. Read was already allowed to use the messages in a wrongful death suit that the O’Keefe family filed against her.

“These communications are not private, they’re not personal, they’re not confidential, and they’re not privileged,” Rosenberg argued in court. “But what they are is staggeringly anti-woman, racist, homophobic, antisemitic, among other things.”

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