The lawsuit filed Thursday by Karen Read against Massachusetts State Police and Canton Police revealed a long history of disturbing text messages between former police officers Michael Proctor and Sean Goode that allegedly included racial slurs, sexist comments and other offensive material.
Proctor was the lead investigator in Read’s case. He was fired by the State Police in March 2025 in part due to messages he sent about Read that came to light during her first trial, including one where he said “Hopefully she kills herself.”
Goode, a former Canton police sergeant, resigned Tuesday in the middle of an internal investigation related to the dozens of messages between him and Proctor that date back as far as 2013.
The text messages were obtained as a part of the prosecution of Myles King in Dedham. Proctor’s personal phone was preserved and searched as part of the murder trial. Proctor was the lead investigator for the case.
Proctor’s phone had been under a protective order, but Read’s attorneys intervened and asked for permission to use the information from his cellphone in future litigation against Massachusetts State Police and Canton Police.
On April 2 in a court filing, Read revealed that she planned a lawsuit and the court agreed that she could use the text messages.
Kayla Bartkowski and Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Michael Proctor and Sean Goode text messages
According to Read’s lawsuit, in one message, Proctor told Goode about a crash in Canton.
“Actually, take your time, I saw a [n—-r] was involved, so I wouldn’t rush if you’re working. Let them die,” Proctor allegedly wrote, the complaint stated.
“That lady was an absolute [c—t] rag [n—a] who had it in for [me] for some reason,” Proctor allegedly wrote in another message, referring to a Boston Police Department employee who performed a background check on him earlier in his career and eventually did not hire him for a position.
In one message, Read’s attorneys said that Proctor wrote, “It should be ‘punch a [n—-r] day’ in canton today out of retribution. Any shine u see blast it in the face.”
Proctor allegedly wrote in another message, “America sucks …. Hitler was really on to something then the [f—–g] US has to step in and ruin it.”
Goode allegedly referred to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu as a “little [c—t],” and said Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey can “suck my [d–k].” He also made a derogatory statement about Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who is Jewish.
The former Canton police officer also used racial slurs against Black and Asian people, according to the complaint.
Greg Derr / AP
The lawsuit also alleges that Proctor and Goode had “long-standing and deeply held biases against women.”
According to text messages in the lawsuit, Proctor and Goode allegedly repeatedly discussed performing sexual acts on women, sometimes while they are asleep. They also allegedly referred to women in various vulgar terms and as “pigs.”
The complaint alleges that Proctor wrote in one message that he needed “a roofie or something” to find a sexual partner.
Goode allegedly wrote about the high-profile case of Sandra Birchmore, who was found dead inside her Canton apartment. Birchmore’s death was initially ruled a suicide. Later, former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell was charged with killing her and is now awaiting federal trial.
The lawsuit alleges that Goode wrote “[t]hat chick was borderline [r——d].”
In suing Massachusetts State Police and Canton Police, Read claims that both departments knew or should have known about Proctor and Goode’s bigotry and retained officers who showed clear bias and were unfit to investigate crimes.
How the text messages became public
The text messages were obtained as a part of the prosecution of Myles King in Dedham. Proctor’s personal phone was preserved and searched as part of that murder trial. Proctor was the lead investigator in the case.
Proctor’s phone had been under a protective order, but Read’s attorneys intervened and asked for permission to use the information from his phone in future litigation against the state police and Canton police.
On April 2 in a court filing, Read revealed that she planned a lawsuit and the court agreed that she could use the text messages.
Read’s lawyers are requesting a jury trial. They seek damages in an amount to be calculated at trial, along with pre- and post-judgment interest, costs and expenses.
Mass. State Police on Proctor texts
“These disturbing messages are entirely inconsistent with any basic standard of decency and certainly with the expectations of a Massachusetts State Trooper,” Massachusetts State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble said about Proctor’s messages in a statement.
“These racist, sexist and abhorrent comments absolutely do not reflect the values of the Massachusetts State Police and are not tolerated within our ranks. They underscore and fully support my decision to terminate Michael Proctor.”
WBZ-TV reached out to the Canton Police Department for comment. They have not yet responded. The Norfolk County District Attorney’s office, which prosecuted Read, declined to comment.
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