In a new lawsuit filed Thursday in Bristol County Superior Court, Karen Read has sued the Massachusetts State Police and the town of Canton, alleging reckless misconduct, negligence and systemic failures in the investigation that led to her prosecution after the death of her boyfriend, former Boston police officer John O’Keefe.
Read, who was acquitted last June, claims the case revealed an embedded culture of bigotry, misogyny, systemic failures, and institutional rot at the core of both the state police and the Canton Police Department. She argues that the town and the department were negligent in hiring, training, and supervising officers.
The town of Canton and its police department did not respond to requests for comment.
Read was convicted of a lesser charge—drunken driving—after a jury found her guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of second‑degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene. Prosecutors alleged that she hit Officer O’Keefe with her SUV on the night of the party in January 2022, leaving him to die in a blizzard.
Read’s defense team portrayed the investigation as a sinister cover‑up, suggesting that Officer O’Keefe was actually killed by colleagues and that the deaths were concealed. They also challenged the integrity of key investigators.
A central figure in the case is former lead investigator Michael Proctor. Read’s attorneys claim he was biased, sending crude and defamatory texts about her while leading the investigation. Proctor was later found guilty of inappropriate conduct by a Massachusetts State Police trial board, fired, and criticized by Read supporters for allegedly playing a role in the alleged cover‑up.
The complaint also names former Canton police Sgt. Sean Goode, who was placed on leave in November 2025 amid allegations of misconduct and resigned this week. Read’s filing includes texts, recordings, and documents that purportedly reveal racist, sexist, and other derogatory remarks from both men, underscoring broader oversight failures by state and local law enforcement.
Read’s lawsuit seeks to expose the alleged systemic abuse and hold the Massachusetts State Police and the town of Canton accountable for the negligent investigation that cost her a year of legal battles and a wrongful conviction of a lesser charge.
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