Three Weeks Into State's Case Against Karen Read: Investigators Grilled, Flirtations Revealed

Yahoo

11-05-2025

The supervisor of a fired Massachusetts State Trooper who disparaged Karen Read in a series of misogynistic texts to other cops in the homicide unit after her arrest said that the investigation into the woman currently on trial in the high-profile case that is making national headlines was conducted with "integrity." Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Yuri Bukhenik, who has spent days on the stand as a witness for the prosecution, was grilled by Read's L.A.-based defense attorney about the misconduct in the investigation that led to this year's firing of his underling Trooper Michael Proctor. When pushed by Read's attorney Alan Jackson, Bukhenik insisted that the investigation into the Jan. 29, 2022 death of Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, who prosecutors say was struck by Read's vehicle, was handled with "honor and integrity." 'The investigation was conducted with honor and integrity, and all the evidence pointed in one direction,' Bukhenik said, as Read, who is charged with second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter while driving under the influence and leaving the scene of a collision causing death, listened intently. 'The investigation was handled with integrity by Michael Proctor.'
However, leaders of the Massachusetts State Police fired Proctor in late March, largely because of a group text chain that was read aloud in Read's first trial, which ended in a hung jury last July after nine weeks of testimony and five days of jury deliberations. During Read's trial last year, Proctor admitted that he sent texts to family, friends and fellow troopers in which he called Read names and profane insults, including 'wack job cunt,' and admitted to texting his sister that he wished Read would 'kill herself.' It is unclear if the prosecution will call Proctor to testify, but his firing by the department has loomed large over Read's retrial. "Would you agree with me that Michael Proctor was the lead investigator as well as the case agent in charge of this case?" Jackson asked Bukhenik."He was assigned as the case officer for the case," Bukhenik answered. Jackson repeated his question about "Former Trooper Michael Proctor," saying: "He was assigned ultimately, to use another phrase, as the lead investigator, wasn't he?" Jackson asked."I'm not going to agree with you," Bukhenik said.Bukhenik was also grilled about the decision from the Canton Police Department to recuse itself from conducting interviews in Read's case because a detective, Kevin Albert, Brian's brother, is a detective in the town. That line of questioning followed Bukhenik's testimony about the now deceased former Canton Police Chief Ken Berkowitz who called the state police after he drove by the Albert home on February 4, 2022, and saw a piece of red taillight, which was not recovered in the initial investigation. Now I wasn't pairing up with Chief Berkowitz to interview the taillight piece," Bukhenik said.
Jackson and other lawyers on Read's defense team believe that O'Keefe was killed inside a home at 34 Fairview Road in Canton that was owned by another Boston Police Officer, Brian Albert, and brought outside where he died in the cold. Bukhenik was pressed on why homicide investigators assigned to the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office never searched the home where the party was held, and where O'Keefe's body was found in a snowbank after a night of partying. Read maintains that she dropped her boyfriend off at the party and went looking for him after he didn't come home. Jackson also asked Bukhenik about Chloe, the Albert's family dog, a German Shepherd, who was re-homed after O'Keefe's death. Read's legal team will put an expert on the stand to say that O'Keefe could have been mauled by a dog, evidenced by deep cuts on his arm. "Did you learn that the Albert family had gotten rid of the dog?" Jackson asked Bukhenik, who answered: "We learned that they no longer cared for the dog. I don't know if 'get rid of' is accurate."Much of the state's case relies on pieces of taillight found near O'Keefe's body that investigators say led them to believe Read hit her boyfriend and left the scene. During his long days on the stand, Bukhenik acknowledged that most of the fragments were found days, and even weeks after the death, which Jackson said indicates Read was framed. Another damning moment came when under cross examination Bukhenik admitted that no pieces of Read's broken taillight were recovered until after her vehicle - the purported murder weapon – was parked inside the sallyport at Canton Police Headquarters.
The state maintains that the taillight is evidence she reversed into him and fled the scene after an argument. Bukhenik was seemingly combative when Jackson asked about chain of custody issues regarding pieces of the taillight and items of O'Keefe's clothing that were recovered at the hospital. Jurors were also riveted by flirtatious text messages exchanged between Read, a former adjunct professor at Bentley University, and ATF Agent Brian Higgins, who was drinking with the group that included O'Keefe in the hours before he died, and was at the Albert home's afterparty. 'You're hot,' Brian Higgins — an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, wrote to Read in a series of text message from January 2022.'Are you serious or messing with me?' Read responded.'No, I'm serious,' Higgins said.'The feeling is mutual,' Read wrote. 'Is that bad?'
The texts were read in agonizing detail by Bukhenik on the stand. Jackson wants the jury to believe that Higgins had motive to kill O'Keefe because on the night that they all met at the Waterfall bar in Canton the agent had texted Read, but she "ghosted" him. The two had discussed "a kiss" exchanged during the two weeks in January where they flirted with one another, and Read told Higgins that O'Keefe had hooked up with another woman on New Year's Eve, 29 days before his body was found covered in snow. The kiss, Read texted Higgins, was captured on her boyfriend's home surveillance, which O'Keefe confronted Read about.'He's like 'Christ, are you guys hooking up??'' Read texted Higgins.'I don't need drama dude,' Higgins responded. 'You legit planted one on me.'Read tried to downplay the situation, and told him the kiss wasn't recorded because she knew where the cameras were. 'It was a peck anyway,' Read said, in an apparent effort to minimize the smooch.The last message Read sent to Higgins, read by the investigator to a rapt jury simply said: 'John died.'