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Canton detective receives unspecified ‘discipline’ linked to Karen Read investigator’s testimony
Kevin Albert is related to several key witnesses in Karen Read's ongoing murder case.
Canton officials have taken unspecified disciplinary action against a local police detective whose family members are key witnesses in the ongoing Karen Read murder case.
Detective Kevin Albert was placed on paid leave in June for his alleged actions during an investigation he conducted two years ago with embattled Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor. The allegations came to light after Proctor, the lead investigator on Read’s case, took the stand in her murder trial earlier this summer.
“The Canton Police Department hired an independent investigator who conducted a thorough investigation of the allegations of misconduct by Detective Albert,” Select Board Chair Michael C. Loughran announced at the board’s meeting Tuesday.
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“Following the investigation, the Select Board reviewed the report and had an opportunity to question the investigator and Detective Albert about the scope and sufficiency of the investigation, as well as the substance of the allegations,” Loughran said.
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He said the Select Board ultimately voted to recommend an unspecified “discipline” for Albert, who accepted the punishment. According to Loughran, board member Chris Albert, the detective’s brother, recused himself from the hearing.
The exact nature of the allegations against Kevin Albert wasn’t immediately clear. Canton Chief of Police Helena Rafferty said officials are withholding the investigative report in its entirety “due to the ongoing investigations by other agencies into the subject matter.” Rafferty did not specify the other agencies involved.
“We are committed to making these records available as soon as the other investigations are completed and it is appropriate to do so,” she said in an emailed statement.
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Rafferty also declined to elaborate on the nature of the disciplinary action taken against Albert, as it is a personnel matter that was discussed and voted on in a closed Select Board executive session. However, she previously confirmed the investigation stemmed from Proctor’s testimony in Read’s trial. On the stand, the trooper acknowledged that he and Albert went out drinking and “had a few beers” while working on a cold case on in July 2022.
“In fact, the two of you got so drunk that Kevin Albert left his badge in your cruiser and couldn’t find his gun the next morning, right?” Alan Jackson, Read’s defense attorney, asked Proctor.
Proctor confirmed he found Albert’s badge in his cruiser the next day and sent a text to the detective, who replied, “Did I take my gun?” followed by a wince emoji.
Read’s attorneys also grilled Proctor on his ties to the Alberts, a well-connected local family who owned the Fairview Road home where Read’s boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, was found unresponsive in the snow on Jan. 29, 2022.
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Prosecutors allege Read was driving drunk and intentionally backed her SUV into O’Keefe while dropping him off at a house party hosted by another Albert sibling, Brian Albert. But Read’s lawyers say she was framed and allege O’Keefe was severely beaten after walking into the home, though several witnesses testified that O’Keefe never entered.
Proctor testified during the trial that he reached out to Kevin Albert to coordinate witness interviews in the Read case, despite knowing the Canton Police Department recused itself from the investigation in light of Brian Albert’s involvement.
Proctor has also faced disciplinary action as a result of his testimony; he was relieved of duty and suspended without pay after he admitted to sending vulgar texts about Read to family, friends, and coworkers during his investigation. Additionally, State Police opened an internal affairs investigation into Proctor’s conduct.
Read’s trial ended in a mistrial July 1 after jurors remained deadlocked following several days of deliberations. A retrial is slated to begin in January.
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