Investigator Joked About Searching Phone for Nudes

A Massachusetts State Trooper who was a lead investigator in the death of Karen Read’s boyfriend John O’Keefe joked about searching her phone for nude photos, according to a new docuseries about the high-profile case. 

Read stood trial last year on second-degree murder and manslaughter charges after being accused of drunkenly backing over and killing her Boston police officer boyfriend following a night of bar hopping in January 2022. A judge declared a mistrial in July after the jury could not reach a unanimous decision. 

The Massachusetts financial analyst has maintained her innocence as her case heads toward a retrial on April 1. A new Investigation Discovery docuseries, A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read, takes viewers behind-the-scenes with Read during her trial. “Doing this film is my testimony,” Read said in the multi-part docuseries. “I know the events of that morning, I know what I said and I didn’t say, and I haven’t been able to say it. It’s incredibly frustrating. I want to say what happened exactly as it happened.”

In a new clip ahead of Tuesday’s episode, obtained by Rolling Stone, the series revisits what commentators called a pivotal moment from the trial, which prompted horrified reactions from jury members. 

Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor took the stand at trial, where he was questioned over messages he sent in a group text with some of his high school buddies regarding Read, just 16 hours into the investigation. 

When asked if Read was “hot” by a friend, Proctor responded, “Yep, she’s a babe.” Proctor admitted to also remarking Read had a “weird accent” and “no ass.” “She’s a whackjob cunt,” he read aloud from his messages in court.

At another point, when telling the court how he was tasked with searching Read’s phone, Proctor admitted to texting his bosses that a search of her cell phone yielded “no nudes so far.” When pressed on why he would go through Read’s phone to look for nude photos, Proctor claimed it was only an “inappropriate joke.” 

A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read airs on Investigation Discovery, and episodes are available to stream on Max.