State Police Sgt. disciplined for failing to punish Proctor for behavior in Karen Read case

DEDHAM, Mass. — A Massachusetts State Police sergeant has to forfeit accrued vacation days after failing to reprimand embattled trooper Michael Proctor for text messages sent about the Karen Read case.

Sergeant Yuriy Bukhenik was ordered to forfeit 5 days of accrued leave following an internal affairs investigation where he “failed to properly supervise and/or counsel a subordinate for sending inappropriate correspondence regarding an ongoing investigation,” and “failed to properly document the inefficiencies of a subordinate according to the Department’s EES manual,” according to the disciplinary order.

The discipline stems from Trooper Michael Proctor’s testimony in the Karen Read murder trial, where he sent a series of disparaging texts about Read that he sent to friends, family, and supervisors. Those texts were read aloud in court during her July trial, which ultimately ended in a mistrial.

Proctor was the lead investigator in the murder investigation and Bukhenik was his direct supervisor.

Read is accused of killing her Boston Police officer boyfriend, John O’Keefe, by striking him with her SUV and leaving him in a snowstorm in Canton in 2022.

Her lawyers contend Read is the victim of a coverup, saying that O’Keefe was actually killed inside the home he was found in front of and then dragged outside and left for dead.

Her retrial is tentatively scheduled for January 2025.

The full disciplinary action can be read here:

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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