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State Police discipline lieutenant who led unit that investigated Karen Read
Detective Lt. Brian Tully failed to discipline or supervise investigators involved in “inappropriate” text messages, according to Massachusetts State Police.
A Massachusetts State Police detective lieutenant who led investigators on the Karen Read case has forfeited six vacation days after an internal probe found he failed to supervise troopers who sent “inappropriate” text messages.
Detective Lt. Brian Tully, who previously led the State Police detective unit in the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office, failed to discipline or supervise members “who were involved with inappropriate text messages relative to an ongoing homicide investigation,” according to Tuesday’s personnel order.
State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble transferred Tully out of the Norfolk DA’s office last month.
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The office has come under fire for its handling of Read’s case and the Sandra Birchmore death investigation. Read, 44, is accused of intentionally and drunkenly backing her SUV into her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, after a night of bar-hopping with friends in January 2022. Her lawyers allege she was framed in a law enforcement coverup.
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State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, one of the lead investigators, admitted to sending vulgar texts about Read to family, friends, and colleagues while working on the case. In those messages, Proctor called Read derogatory names, said he hoped she would kill herself, joked about looking for nude photos on her phone, and poked fun at her Crohn’s disease, appearance, and accent.
During Read’s trial, Tully testified he spoke with Proctor after becoming aware of the texts.
“I had a long discussion with him about the content and nature of them,” Tully said. “I expressed my displeasure at his unprofessionalism and the content of them, and I reported it up my chain of command.”
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According to Tuesday’s personnel order, Tully also failed to “recommend remedial or disciplinary action for inefficient, incompetent, or unsuitable employees” around Feb. 1, May 6, and May 10. As a result, he forfeited six days of accrued leave.
Tully was among several State Police troopers who faced internal affairs investigations following Read’s first trial, which ended in a mistrial July 1. Proctor remains suspended without pay, and Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik — who directly supervised Proctor — forfeited five vacation days back in September for failing to reprimand him for his texts. Canton Police Detective Kevin Albert, whose family members served as witnesses in Read’s trial, also faced disciplinary action over Proctor’s testimony.
Read is due to stand trial again in 2025.
Det. Lt. Brian Tully Personnel Order on Scribd
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