Norfolk DA Michael MorrisseyPhoto: Norfolk County DA's Office/Facebook
CANTON, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — After 15 years on the job, Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey announced Monday he will not run for reelection in November.
In a statement, Morrissey said he is "proud of the work" he accomplished while in office, and believes it is time for him to "start a new chapter" in his life.
"I ran for this office to stand up for victims and give them a voice. I am proud to have done so for countless victims over the years and am deeply grateful for the trust placed in me and in the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office," the statement said.
Over the last several years, Morrissey's time in office has been punctuated by the Karen Read case and other high-profile cases.
Read was accused of hitting her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, with her SUV and leaving him for dead in the snow back in January of 2022. After her first murder trial ended in a mistrial, she was found not guilty on all charges except OUI during her retrial.
Read's supporters, who maintain she was framed as part of a police coverup, heavily criticized Morrissey and the Norfolk DA's Office over the handling of the case.
Meantime, Morrissey's office handled the Brian Walshe case. Last month, the Cohasset man was found guilty of murdering his wife, Ana, on New Year's Day in 2023, and dismembering her body. He was sentenced to life in prison.
After the verdict was read, Morrissey thanked the jury and investigators.
"We've seen other cases where we have not had a body, but this is the first that I can remember where we've had a first degree conviction," he said.
Morrissey's office also investigated the Sandra Birchmore case, ruling her death a suicide. Later, federal authorities indicted former Stoughton Police Officer Matthew Farwell, accusing him of sexually abusing Birchmore for years before strangling her when she became pregnant.