A state trooper was investigating the death of a Boston officer. Now, he is accused of violating department policy

(CNN) — A state trooper who investigated the death of a Boston police officer is now under investigation, officials said Thursday, adding another layer of complexity to a case that has deeply divided a Massachusetts suburb.

The Massachusetts State Police said it has opened an internal investigation into a “possible violation of department policy” against Trooper Michael Proctor, one of the lead investigators in the death of Officer John O’Keefe. He did not elaborate on why. Investigation is being done.

Investigators allege O’Keefe’s girlfriend, Karen Reed, hit him with her truck in the Boston suburb of Canton in January 2022 and left him outside in the snow to die.

But Reed’s defense team alleges that he was fatally beaten at the home of a fellow Boston police officer in Canton and that Reed was the victim of a cover-up to protect those inside the home that night. Reid said he dropped O’Keefe off shortly after midnight, when they left a bar, and then went home to sleep because he wasn’t feeling well.

O’Keefe’s body was found outside the home about six hours later. Not guilty of reed Intentional killing without prejudiceLeaving the scene of vehicular homicide and accidents while intoxicated.

Massachusetts State Police have not specified whether Proctor’s alleged policy violations are related to Reed’s case. “Officer Proctor is on full duty,” a state police spokesperson said in a statement to CNN on Thursday.

“Please note that we do not indicate whether a potential violation is related to a specific case, nor do we specify its nature,” he added.

David Traub, a spokesman for the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting Reed’s case, told CNN he was aware of the investigation. Proctor is “fully employed and his responsibilities in our office have not changed,” he said.

The investigation comes the same week that Reed’s defense alleged that Proctor failed to fully disclose his relationships with key witnesses inside the case. During Tuesday’s hearing, attorney Alan Jackson alleged that a series of text messages revealed that Proctor had a close relationship with the family of the owner of the home where he claims O’Keefe died, and that he communicated with them before and after. ‘Death of Keefe.

Karen Reed with her defense attorneys Alan Jackson and David Yanetti in Norfolk County Superior Court. (MediaNews Group/Boston Herald/MediaNews Group/Getty Images/File)

“We say from the September 2022 motions that we filed before this court and before the Commonwealth that there is a conflict. They are not investigating the conflict. That conflict was never described to the members of the grand jury. And we were. Rejected every time. comes,” Jackson said in court Tuesday.

Proctor’s attorney, Michael DeStefano, said his client is cooperating with the investigation.

“Officer Proctor stands by the integrity of the work he performed in the investigation into the death of Mr. John O’Keefe,” he said in a statement obtained by CNN. “To the extent that Officer Proctor’s personal text messages are referred to in legal proceedings involving Ms. Reid, he respectfully submits that they are not viewed in any way as objective investigative measures taken by him and members of his unit.” Content of Personal Messages.

Deputy Norfolk County Prosecutor Adam Lally has said the defense is using the relationship to distract from Reed’s alleged crime, CNN affiliate WFXT reported.

“It’s the three-card trick. You know, the trick of finding a card. You put it in a corner, off to one side. You distract from it all. Look at this relationship. Look at that other relationship,” Lally said. .

Reid’s trial is scheduled to begin next month.