The behavior of a former Massachusetts soldier was fired for his handling of Karen's murder investigation, which brought her attention to this week's retrial as defense attorneys spent hours grilling former officials' supervisors.

Massachusetts Police Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik admitted he was also disciplined for allegations of misconduct in connection with Michael Proctor, an investigation into the death of Boston police officer John O'Keefe. But the supervisor testified that the former soldier handled the investigation with "honor and integrity."

“I believe humans are biased,” Booknick said in a court in southeastern Boston. “Especially in this case, they have no impact on the results of the investigation.”

Proctor made allegations of misconduct at her popular first trial at Read’s defense team, who did not testify during her retrial. It is not clear whether he wants to.

Read, 45, was charged with second-degree murder with second-degree murder while driving under the influence of driving and leaving the scene of the collision resulting in death.

The first trial covered nine weeks and five days of deliberations for the jury, and it ended when the panel was unable to reach a consensus ruling. This week is the third one she retried.

Prosecutors claimed that when she drunkenly supported Lexus SUV to her two-year boyfriend O'Keeffe, Reid was angry at her deteriorating relationship and left him in the suburbs of now retired Boston Police Sergeant Brian Albert.

O'Keefe, 46, found no response in Albert's yard shortly after 6 a.m. on January 29, 2022. He was later pronounced dead. The medical examiner attributed his death to hypothermia and blunt trauma.

Red asserted her innocence. Her lawyers claimed she was a victim of the conspiracy—O'Keeffe was likely beaten at Albert's home, bitten by a German shepherd of his family and dragged outside, they said—and a cover that attempted to form her cover when he died.

Defense attorneys accused Proctor of manipulating evidence and conducting biased investigations. During the state police review, he found that he violated agency rules when he sent derogatory messages to friends, family and others, and was fired in March by an undispersed dismissal when he shared sensitive and confidential details about the case with illegal law enforcement officers.

At the trial, Proctor acknowledged that his comments were "unprofessional" and "dehumanized", but he said they did not affect the integrity of the investigation into O'Keefe's death. Proctor has not commented on his sack, but his family says he is "unfairly exploiting and scapegoating one of his own soldiers, a soldier with 12 years of unrelict records."

Bukhenik is one of those who text. While searching for Read’s phone seven months after O'Keefe’s death, Proctor texted David Yannetti, one of Read’s attorneys, and mentioned Reid in objectionable language, saying: “There are no nudes so far.”

In other messages that do not include Bukhenik, Proctor said he hoped Read died of suicide and he made a derogatory comment on her medical condition. Read was diagnosed with Chron disease.

Bukhenik testified that when the news reached the Apple Watch, he was studying airport traffic details. He said that although Booknik responded with a thumbs-up emoji, he did not read the news at the time.

Bukhenik later disciplinary action on the accuracy of Proctor's performance evaluation, and he testified that he did not adequately monitor him. He said he lost five holidays and remains a homicide investigator with the Massachusetts Police Department.

At the inquiry of defense attorney Alan Jackson, Bukhenik said that despite Proctor's investigation, he did not think the former soldier played a major role, as he was only one of several soldiers assigned to the case and was not responsible for 51% or more of the job.

Asked if he believed Proctor's involvement in the case would contaminate investigation, Bukhenik said he did not.

“The investigation is conducted with honor and integrity, and the evidence points in one direction,” he said.