kelly

During the second Karen Read trial, as additional information came to light about lead investigator Michael Proctor, who has since been fired and decertified, Norfolk County investigators appeared to distance themselves from his role in the investigation. Although Proctor was identified as the lead investigator, Sgt Yuri Bukhenik characterized him as the “case officer,” explaining that the other investigators had all worked equally on the death investigation of John O’Keefe. That distinction is important when looking at the investigation into Sandra Birchmore. Matthew Dunne was the case officer in Sandra’s death investigation. However, his supervisors, John Fanning, Yuri Bukhenik, and Brian Tully, were also involved in the investigation, with Fanning ultimately taking over what was effectively the lead role. And Fanning and Bukhenik both have ties to Stoughton, the same department where Sandra entered the Police Explorer program at just 12 years old, where she was groomed by Stoughton Detective Matthew Farwell, and where the federal government now alleges she was sexually abused and raped by Farwell beginning when she was 15. There is another connection that cannot simply be overlooked. The Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office is located in Canton, and both the Assistant District Attorneys and the Massachusetts State Police investigators assigned to these cases operate out of that same building. These are separate cases involving different victims and different circumstances. But when you look at the investigations side by side, there are striking similarities. Both investigations were concluded extraordinarily quickly. Sandra Birchmore’s death was classified as a suicide within approximately four months. John O’Keefe’s death was attributed to his girlfriend Karen Read within hours. In Sandra’s case, the initial investigation resulted in a conclusion that the federal government has since challenged. In John O’Keefe’s case, the investigation resulted in Karen Read being accused of causing his death, despite the extensive disputes that have since emerged over the evidence and the investigation itself. Both cases also involved DNA evidence that was left untested on the victims. So I think it is worth asking whether these investigations can really be viewed in isolation. You cannot look at Sandra Birchmore’s case and be appalled by the failures and unanswered questions surrounding the investigation, while simultaneously holding up the John O’Keefe investigation as an example of a thorough and reliable investigation without examining the people, institutions, and investigative practices they have in common. The cases are different. The circumstances are different. But there is significant overlap in the investigators and the offices involved. And ultimately, both investigations left families without the justice they were seeking, while critical questions about how those investigations were conducted remained unanswered.