Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor has been suspended without pay since July. A hearing Wednesday could determine his fate.

The lead Massachusetts State Police investigator whose text messages played an embarrassing role in the first murder trial of Karen Read could face permanent discipline during a court hearing Wednesday.

After the closed hearing, the State Police Trial Board will make disciplinary recommendations to Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, the head of the State Police, officials have said.

Suspended Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor will appear in front of what’s known as a trial board Wednesday as part of the disciplinary process for behavior that received heavy scrutiny during the Karen Read murder trial.

Proctor, the lead investigator assigned to the death of Read’s Boston police officer boyfriend John O’Keefe, was relieved of his duty this past summer following a mistrial in the Read case and his last day with the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office followed soon thereafter.