During the trial, Read’s lawyers accused Proctor of manipulating evidence and conducting a biased investigation. They based the allegation in part on text messages he sent to friends, relatives and supervisors that showed him using offensive and vulgar language to describe Read.

Michael Proctor has been fired by the Massachusetts State Police for his actions in the Karen Read investigation. Proctor faced a state police trial board over allegations of misconduct while working as the lead investigator in the Karen Read case.

The family of State Police trooper Michael Proctor, who was terminated for conduct during the Karen Read investigation, said he was being unfairly scapegoated.