State Police remove unit commander Brian Tully from Norfolk DA’s office

Tully was transferred to a temporary position in the Division of Investigative Services and will continue to assist the DA on his cases.

A Massachusetts State Police detective involved with the

murder trial and the Sandra Birchmore case has been transferred from his position with the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office, just weeks following new State Police leadership.

Detective Lieutenant Brian Tully will no longer serve as unit commander of the State Police detective unit assigned with the Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey’s office, State Police said in a statement.

State Police transferred Tully to a temporary position in the Division of Investigative Services and will continue to assist the DA on his previous cases. The internal affairs investigation into Tully is ongoing, State Police said.

Tully is one of three State Police troopers who faced scrutiny after testifying during the Read trial this summer. State Trooper Michael Proctor’s role as lead investigator was widely publicized when he took the stand and was made to read vulgar text messages he sent about Read during the investigation. Proctor was relieved of his duties, while Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik is still being investigated.

Tully’s transfer comes as Colonel Geoffrey Noble’s first major public overhaul to the State Police since he was appointed to lead the agency by Governor Maura Healey and sworn in earlier this month.

“Colonel Noble has conducted an initial review and believes this decision is in the best interest of the Department’s public safety mission,” the department’s statement said about Tully’s transfer.

The State Police unit within the Norfolk DA has also faced criticism for its handling of Birchmore’s death. Former Stoughton police detective Matthew Farwell was indicted this year on federal charges that he killed Birchmore, 23, after allegedly grooming and sexually abusing her beginning when she was 15. State officials initially ruled her 2021 death a suicide, and while State Police detectives interviewed and investigated Farwell, he was not charged by local authorities.

The State Police posted a vacancy for Tully’s former position, which involves overseeing about 20 state troopers.

The DA did not return a request for comment Sunday evening.

Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.