Overview
- Former Massachusetts State Police investigator Michael Proctor invoked his Fifth Amendment right and did not testify when called at a hearing on Sept. 14, and the judge allowed the invocation.
- King’s lawyer has asked the court to dismiss the murder case, saying Proctor’s voluminous racist and sexist private texts show bias that compromised criminal investigations he led.
- Prosecutors oppose dismissal, arguing the messages were private conduct unrelated to the probe and that independent evidence such as a victim identification, phone records, and video surveillance link Myles King to the July 11, 2021, killing of Marquis Simmons.
- Proctor was fired after messages disclosed during the Karen Read prosecutions and related litigation revealed racist, antisemitic, homophobic, and misogynistic remarks, including a message telling officers not to rush when a Black person was hurt.
- A follow-up hearing is scheduled for Sept. 22 when the defense will call other witnesses; the court will next weigh whether Proctor’s conduct amounts to official misconduct that could deny King a fair trial.