Crude text messages about Karen Read that fired Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor sent to his friends in a group chat after John O’Keefe’s death were allowed as evidence in the Mansfield woman’s murder retrial and read aloud for jurors to hear on Monday.
Reed's defense team will call new
witnesses to the stand today as they
build their case. We've learned former
trooper Michael Proctor will not be one
of them. He will not testify in this
retrial of Reed. Boston 25 News reporter
Ryan Brereslin is live at Norfol
Superior Court. And Ryan, the judge did
an important ruling before this
morning's testimony
started. Good morning to you, Katherine.
Yeah, that's right. a judge ruling this
morning that text messages of former
state trooper Michael Proctor will be
allowed to be introduced to the jury
today. She says that those texts have
been properly authenticated and show the
state of mind of Trooper Proctor. She
says that they also potentially reflect
any bias or omissions in the police
investigation. The first witness to take
the stand this morning was Jonathan
Diamandis. Now, he has known former
state trooper Michael Proctctor since
middle school, and they have been
friends for the last 30 years. Diamandis
was on a group text with Proctor where
Proctor sent offensive messages about
Karen Reed while investigating her for
murder. This morning, Diamandis
confirmed to the jury that Proctor was
fired from the state police, saying it
was in connection to this case based on
the text messages were that were sent to
the group. The Commonwealth went through
some of those text messages with
Diamandis reading a few and prosecutor
Hank Breen reading others that Diamandis
was uncomfortable to say out loud. Mr.
Proctor says, "From all accounts, he
didn't do a thing wrong. She's a whack
job." And then uses the C-word to
describe. Is that accurate? That's
accurate.
He then says, "Yeah, she's a babe."
Weird Fall River accent, though.
Diamandis is now off of the stand and
Kelly De has taken her spot on the
stand. She is a former police officer
with Canton police. She was on patrol
the night that John O'Keefe died. She is
now a Boston police officer. For now,
live in Denim, I'm Ryan Breeslin for
your local station, Boston 25 News.
