Canton Sgt. – Canton Police Sgt. Sean Goode, who worked the early investigation into John O’Keefe’s death in Karen Read’s case, has resigned effective Tuesday after allegations he exchanged messages with the probe’s lead investigator, former State Police Trooper Michael Pro
Canton Police Sgt. Sean Goode, a key figure in the earliest stages of the investigation into John O’Keefe’s death—the case that eventually led to Karen Read’s murder trial—has resigned, town officials said.
Goode submitted his resignation to the Canton Police Department effective Tuesday, according to a statement from town officials. He had been on paid leave since last fall while an internal affairs probe looked into misconduct allegations.
Town officials said Wednesday that Goode’s resignation “does not alter the completion of this investigation. which will be submitted to the Town and the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST).” POST is the state’s police oversight body responsible for certifying law enforcement officers.
The shift comes against a backdrop of scrutiny surrounding communications connected to the Read case. Canton officials previously said they were notified on Oct. 24 about Goode’s alleged misconduct. which the town described as “discovered during an investigation into a former member of a different law enforcement agency.” The town has not provided additional details about what was found.
That same day. a filing from the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office described that Proctor’s personal cellphone contained “highly sensitive information including images of intimate body parts.” Once a trooper based in the Norfolk DA’s office. Proctor led the investigation into the death of Read’s boyfriend. Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.
Goode’s name also appears in the record of the early response to O’Keefe’s death. In January 2022, O’Keefe was found unresponsive on a snowy lawn in Canton, and Goode was among the initial wave of police who responded to the scene.
Proctor’s conduct had already drawn major attention before Read’s case reached its final disposition. He was fired last year by State Police in light of his conduct during the case. Read was ultimately acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges following a 2025 retrial.
But the legal battles have not ended for Read. She remains tied up in several pending civil lawsuits, including a wrongful death complaint from O’Keefe’s family.
Read’s lawyers have also teased another civil lawsuit—this one against State Police and the Town of Canton—alleging negligent hiring, supervision, and training. Proctor’s cellphone data is central to those claims, Aaron Rosenberg, one of Read’s civil attorneys, told a judge in April.
“These communications are not private. They’re not personal. They’re not confidential, and they’re not privileged,” Rosenberg said at the time. “But what they are is staggeringly anti-woman, racist, homophobic, antisemitic, among other things. And that description applies to messages from both Mr. Proctor and Sgt. Goode of the Canton Police Department.”.
Rosemary Scapicchio, an attorney for two other murder defendants Proctor investigated, also accused the former trooper of sending racist messages. “He’s a racist, really a racist person from the beginning,” she said of Proctor. “He’ll say things like, ‘It’s kill an n-word in Canton day.’”
For Goode, the exact scope of his alleged involvement in the communications at the center of the case remains unclear. The filing and the town’s statement do not spell out the precise nature of his purported role in the text thread. and Canton officials have not said whether Goode’s internal affairs probe is connected to the Read matter.
At the same time, the town offered a boundary around what it can say publicly. “While we understand the public’s interest in such matters. Massachusetts personnel and privacy laws limit what may be publicly shared regarding employment matters. ” Canton officials said Wednesday. “The Town will have no further comment at this time.”.
Canton Police Sean Goode Michael Proctor Karen Read John O'Keefe internal affairs POST Norfolk County District Attorney wrongful death lawsuit Massachusetts State Police