In a 10‑page complaint filed Thursday in Bristol County Superior Court, Karen Read accuses the Massachusetts State Police and the town of Canton of negligence and misconduct that culminated in her prosecution for the death of Boston police officer John O’Keefe.
Read was acquitted of murder last June, a decision that, in his own words, exposed an embedded culture of bigotry, misogyny, systemic failures and institutional rot at the core of both organizations. The suit argues that the town and its police department failed in hiring, training and supervision practices.
When the lawsuit was filed, the town of Canton and its police department did not respond to email requests for comment.
Read was found free after three years and two trials over O’Keefe’s death—an incident that occurred on the lawn of a fellow officer’s home during a snowstorm after a night of heavy drinking. In January 2022, she allegedly hit O’Keefe with her SUV, leaving him to die in a blizzard. Prosecutors charged her with second‑degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene, but she was convicted on a lesser charge of drunken driving.
Her attorneys presented a narrative of police misconduct, suggesting that O’Keefe was actually killed by colleagues who then covered it up. They also alleged that the lead investigator, Michael Proctor, was biased from the start, sending crude, defamatory texts. Proctor was later found guilty of misconduct and fired. The lawsuit cites texts, recordings and other communications to demonstrate racist and sexist remarks that, the plaintiffs say, demonstrate both investigators were unfit to participate in the case.
Former Canton police Sergeant Sean Goode, who was placed on leave in November 2025 after misconduct allegations came to light, resigned earlier this week. Read’s complaint further alleges that state and local law‑enforcement oversight was lacking.
Link to read: acquittal last June.
Related story: Read walks out a free woman.
Further details on Proctor: successful defense.
Full trial notes on Proctor: lead investigator.
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