A Massachusetts town cop is on trial in federal court in Boston — accused of killing a young woman and staging the scene to look like suicide. The case sat closed for nearly three years before the FBI tore it back open.
Matthew Farwell — a Stoughton Police officer at the time of Sandra Birchmore’s passing — is standing trial in the Moakley federal courthouse on charges he caused the February 2021 passing of Sandra Birchmore, 23, and made it look like she took her own life. He has pleaded not guilty. The jury has been hearing testimony since mid-October.
Who Was Sandra Birchmore?
Birchmore joined the Stoughton Police Explorers — a youth program run by the department — as a young teen. Prosecutors say Farwell, then in his twenties, met her through that program when she was around 13, groomed her for years, and that the relationship turned sexual when she was 15 and he was 27.
By 2021 she was 23, pregnant, and — according to trial testimony — telling people the father was a police officer. Her phone’s notes app held a baby-names list. The last name on it: Matthew.
The Phone Timeline
FBI forensic testimony has put a minute on the timeline: Birchmore’s phone stopped moving at 9:40 p.m. on February 1, 2021. She was found in her Canton apartment shortly after. The state ruled her passing a suicide, and the case appeared to close.
It didn’t stay closed. Birchmore’s best friend went to police after the passing and pointed investigators at Farwell. In 2022, her remains were exhumed for a second autopsy. In August 2024 — more than two years later — a federal grand jury indicted Farwell on two counts, including causing the passing of her unborn child.
The Investigation That Cleared Its Own
One of the trial’s through-lines is who ran the original review. The internal department review after Birchmore’s passing was conducted by Stoughton’s own deputy chief — Brian Holmes, who has spent days on the witness stand this month explaining that investigation. Critics, including witnesses now testifying, have pointed to gaps in the initial state review of the scene.
Prosecutors argue the federal charge explains itself: the statute covers causing a passing to prevent a report to law enforcement. Their theory — she could have reported him for the relationship with a minor, and he acted to make sure she never could.
The Trial So Far
The prosecution’s early witnesses have chipped at the suicide ruling: the state trooper who worked the original investigation faced days of questioning over gaps; the Stoughton chief testified he recognized Farwell in surveillance footage from the apartment building that night; explicit messages between Farwell and Birchmore have been entered into evidence; Birchmore’s journal, with what outlets call disturbing writings, is in front of the jury.
The defense doesn’t dispute the affair. Its position: DNA testing shows Farwell was not the father of Birchmore’s child, and after he broke things off, she took her own life.
What Happens Next
Farwell faces up to life in prison on conviction. Court sits dark this weekend; testimony resumes next week with medical-examiner and additional FBI witnesses expected. A verdict window is opening — legal observers tracking the trial expect the jury to get the case within weeks.
Like every defendant, Farwell is presumed innocent until proven guilty. We’re tracking the verdict, and we’ll cover it the day it lands.
#OhDangReally #MatthewFarwell #SandraBirchmore #StoughtonPolice
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