Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik, one of the lead investigators in the Karen Read case, was transferred out of the Norfolk district attorney’s office on Sunday, the agency confirmed.
Bukhenik was transferred to the Division of Field Services at the South Boston barracks, Tim McGurik, a spokesman for state police, confirmed to MassLive.
The decision to transfer Bukhenik comes just weeks after Read was acquitted on all charges connected to the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police officer John O’Keefe. He is the second trooper involved in the case to be transferred out of the district attorney’s office: Det. Lt. Brian Tully, who supervised the investigative unit, was moved last November.
In September, Bukhenik forfeited five vacation days after state police found he violated two rules and regulations related to his supervision of Michael Proctor, the now-fired trooper who was the other lead investigator in the case. Bukhenik was on a text message conversation where Proctor joked about going through Read’s cell phone for nudes.
Bukhenik was found to have failed to “properly supervise and/or counsel a subordinate for sending inappropriate correspondence regarding an ongoing investigation.” State police also determined Bukhenik failed to properly utilize the department’s Employee Evaluation System by failing to “properly document the inefficiencies of a subordinate.”
At both Read trials, Bukhenik was subject to withering cross-examination about the quality of the investigation into O’Keefe’s death. Read’s defense criticized the police investigation throughout both trials and claimed Proctor planted evidence as part of an effort to frame her.
Bukhenik defended the integrity of the investigation and of Proctor’s conduct on the stand.
State police did not immediately explain the decision to transfer Bukhenik.
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