Two more Massachusetts State Police troopers are under internal investigation following their testimony in the Karen Read trial, the Massachusetts State Police confirmed.
Karen Read, accused of killing her boyfriend, police officer John O’Keefe, in January 2022, will face a retrial in January 2025 after her initial murder case ended in a mistrial earlier this month.
According to MSP, Detective Lt. Brian Tully and Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik will remain on active duty during the ongoing investigations.
The investigation into Lt. John Fanning, another officer associated with the Read case, has concluded. The state police determined there was “insufficient evidence to prove or disprove the allegation that he violated rules and regulations by failing to uphold the responsibilities of a supervisory member.” Consequently, this allegation was classified as not sustained, the state police stated on Thursday.
During Read’s trial, Tully testified that he did not search the house where O’Keefe’s body was found outside because there was no evidence suggesting a crime had been committed inside. He noted that this lack of evidence would have prevented him from obtaining a search warrant for the house.
Testimony during Read’s trial also led to the suspension of Massachusetts State Police officer Michael Proctor, who was suspended without pay and relieved of duty pending the outcome of the investigation.
Bukhenik, who was Proctor’s supervisor during the early stages of the investigation, testified about interviewing Read and some of the evidence, including the delayed entry of O’Keefe’s clothes into evidence and a missing portion of police department footage showing where Read’s vehicle was stored after it was seized.
Evidence presented at the trial revealed that Proctor had sent several lewd and defamatory text messages about Read and divulged confidential information about the investigation.
Read’s attorneys also accused Proctor of searching for nude photos on Read’s phone.
The trial also uncovered that Proctor was in communication with Canton police officer Kevin Albert during the investigation leading up to Read’s murder trial. Kevin Albert is the brother of Brian Albert, who hosted the party at the house where O’Keefe’s body was found.
Due to the Albert brothers’ connection to the case, the Canton Police Department recused themselves from the investigation. Kevin Albert was placed on paid administrative leave, according to media.
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State police declined to provide further comments on the investigations, stating, “The Department respectfully declines further comment in fairness to the integrity of the pending investigative outcomes.”
