Opening statements in the Karen Reed murder trial on Monday revealed new details about an email the case's lead investigator allegedly sent to a friend.
Defense attorney David Yanetti said in his opening statement that Massachusetts State Police Officer Michael Proctor told his high school friends after the January death of Boston police officer John O'Keefe in Canton. He spoke for the first time about the text messages he allegedly sent. 29, 2022.
Prosecutors say Mr. Reed hit Ms. O'Keefe with his SUV and left her to die, but Mr. Reed's defense team has long argued that Mr. Reed was part of a widespread cover-up. .
Watch Karen Read's trial live on nbcboston.com, NECN, NBC Boston streaming platforms (including Roku, Peacock and Samsung TV), and the NBC10 Boston YouTube page. He'll be back for analysis and more every night during the trial at 7 p.m.
Yanetti said Proctor, a longtime friend of the family of Brian Albert, the man whose body was found on the lawn of O'Keefe, had never set foot in the home, never asked for permission to enter the home or asked for permission to enter. He said he never requested a search warrant.
“Instead, he immediately focused solely on the outsider, Karen Reed,” Yanetti said. “Karen Reed was a convenient outsider. She definitely wasn't from Canton. What did Michael Proctor think of her? Focus on staying informed and keeping an open mind. How did he treat the people he was investigating at a time when he was?'' All conceivable evidence is there, so did he miss anything? ”
“On the day John O'Keefe was found dead on the lawn of Brian Albert's home, Michael Proctor used his personal cell phone to text his high school friends about this supposedly secret investigation. You can see that,” Yanetti said. “He was disclosing information about this investigation to his friends, believing that no one would ever know what he was doing or saying. He told his friends what he really thought about Karen Reed. “It's not about what he put into the police force that he sanitized.”The report includes his true feelings, messages to friends he trusted, and a report that will be handed over to the defense attorney in the case. There's a text message that I never expected. ”
“Lead Investigator Michael Proctor called Karen Reed names he would reserve only for his worst enemies. He told friends he hoped she would kill herself. I told my friends that my phone had been confiscated.
Opening statements are being made in Karen Reed's trial. She is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, two years ago after spending the night at two separate bars in Canton.
Ianetti said Proctor knew that Reed's cell phone could contain attorney-client communications and that he should not have accessed the contents without a search warrant.
“He told his friends that he was looking for nude photos on her phone, but was disappointed that he hadn't found anything yet,” the lawyer said. “He is a professional and impartial investigator selected to lead the investigation into the death of John O’Keefe.”
Yanetti said in an email that one of Proctor's friends commented that Brian Albert was probably going to get a lot of shots because his body was found on his front lawn.
“Do you know what his reaction was?” Yanetti asked. “One word: 'No,'” and Michael Proctor assured his friends why, “The owner of the house is also a Boston police officer, so they won't be too sad.”
State police confirmed in March that Proctor was the subject of an internal investigation for allegedly violating department policy, but declined to comment on why they conducted the investigation themselves. However, officials told NBC10 Boston that the investigation is related to the Reed case.
Mr. Proctor continues to work full-time while the internal investigation unfolds, and the Norfolk District Attorney's Office previously said the investigation did not affect Mr. Proctor's case assignments.
