Djuna Perkins, elected Norfolk County district attorney on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, says she will review the office’s handling of the Karen Read and Sandra Birchmore cases, re-examine cases handled by former State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, and is “strongly considering” an investigative grand jury into the Stoughton police Youth Explorers program, she told WCVB in her first interview since the election.
Perkins, a Democrat, defeated independent Joe Pagliarulo with 71.7 percent of the vote, 178,064 votes to 70,278, with just over 90 percent counted, The Sun Chronicle reported. She succeeds Michael Morrissey, who did not seek reelection, and is to be sworn in on January 6, 2027, according to WCVB.
What she says she will do
According to her interview with WCVB:
- Interview the staff. Her top priority is a review of the office’s staff. “Everybody’s going to be interviewed,” she said, including the State Police detectives assigned to the office. “I want to interview every single one of them.”
- Audit the Karen Read prosecution. “I would like to know what went wrong,” she said. “I want to see why the decisions were made that were made.” She said she wants to release the results, “to the extent legally permissible.”
- Review Proctor’s cases. She said she would look at both pending and closed cases Proctor handled to decide “whether or not his obvious biases that came out in the Karen Read case played a role in the outcomes,” and that if so, “those cases either need to be re-prosecuted or dismissed.”
- Investigate the Youth Explorers program. Birchmore entered the Stoughton program as a teenager, and that is where she met Matthew Farwell and other officers who an internal investigation found had sexual relations with her, WCVB reported. “I think the main question I have is what other adults may have had criminal responsibility for what was going on,” Perkins said. “If other individuals are found to have criminal responsibility, I will prosecute them. I’m strongly considering an investigative grand jury.”
Perkins decided to run after being outraged at the current office’s handling of the Birchmore case, WCVB reported.
What a district attorney controls, and what she does not
Under G.L. c. 12, § 27, which we read at malegislature.gov, district attorneys “shall appear for the commonwealth in the superior court in all cases, criminal or civil, in which the commonwealth is a party or interested” within their districts. That gives an incoming DA wide authority over state prosecutions: whether to bring charges, whether to keep pursuing a pending case, and whether to dismiss one.
It does not reach the federal case. Matthew Farwell is on trial in federal court in Boston, prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, on charges of killing a witness under 18 U.S.C. § 1512 and a related count under the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. He has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent. Closing arguments are scheduled for Friday, November 6. Whatever that jury decides, a state investigation of other adults connected to the Explorers program would be a separate matter. What the Farwell jury must decide.
How an investigative grand jury works
A Massachusetts grand jury does two things: it decides whether there is enough evidence to indict, and it can be used to investigate, hearing witnesses and reviewing records before anyone is charged. Perkins has not said what she would present or when.
The General Laws let prosecutors keep a grand jury sitting long enough to finish a probe. Under G.L. c. 277, § 1A, also read at malegislature.gov, when the attorney general or a district attorney gives a Superior Court justice written notice “that public necessity requires further time by a grand jury to complete an investigation then in progress, the court may order such grand jury to continue to serve until said investigation has been completed,” and it “shall take up no new matter.” A separate provision, § 2A, allows a six month special grand jury, but only on the attorney general’s request with a certificate signed by the chief justice of the Superior Court.
No one has been charged in connection with the Explorers program in state court, and Perkins has not named anyone she is looking at.
The Proctor cases
Proctor was fired by the State Police in March 2025, and the state’s POST Commission suspended his certification in December 2025. His work is already at issue in other Norfolk cases, including a Milton murder case in which the defense has asked a judge to dismiss because of his conduct. A DA reviewing past convictions can agree that a conviction should be vacated or decline to retry a case, but a closed conviction generally does not go away unless a court allows a motion for a new trial. Where every Proctor case stands.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the Norfolk County district attorney race?
Djuna Perkins, a Democrat, defeated independent Joe Pagliarulo with about 72 percent of the vote, according to The Sun Chronicle. She takes office January 6, 2027.
Can the new Norfolk DA reopen the Karen Read case?
Perkins has said she will audit how the office handled the Read prosecution and release what she can. She has not said she will bring any new charge, and she has not named a target.
Does the Norfolk DA control the Matthew Farwell trial?
No. Farwell is being prosecuted by federal prosecutors in federal court. Perkins’s proposed grand jury would examine whether other adults bear state criminal responsibility.
What is an investigative grand jury in Massachusetts?
A grand jury used to gather evidence through witnesses and records before charges are brought. Under G.L. c. 277, § 1A, a district attorney can ask a Superior Court justice to extend a grand jury’s term to finish an investigation in progress.
Sources: Djuna Perkins interview with WCVB, November 5, 2026; election results from The Sun Chronicle, November 4, 2026. G.L. c. 12, § 27, and G.L. c. 277, §§ 1A and 2A, read at malegislature.gov. Farwell charges and Proctor history from our earlier reporting on the federal docket and public records. General information, not legal advice.