Prosecution and defence present competing accounts in Matthew Farwell trial
In short
Opening statements in the Boston federal trial of former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell presented competing accounts of Sandra Birchmore's death. Prosecutors accuse him of killing the pregnant 23-year-old and staging a suicide; defence lawyers argued she died by suicide, The Boston Globe reported.
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Prosecutors and defence lawyers presented opposing accounts of Sandra Birchmore's death in opening statements at former Massachusetts police officer Matthew Farwell's trial, The Boston Globe reported on October 9. Prosecutors said Farwell killed Birchmore to conceal their relationship, which began when she was a teenager. Defence lawyers argued that she died by suicide. The New York Post reported that jury selection had taken place during the week at a Boston federal courthouse. [ 2 , 5 , 6 ]
Birchmore was 23 and pregnant when she died on February 1, 2021. Her death was initially ruled a suicide, but prosecutors allege Farwell killed her and staged the scene. Fox News reported that the FBI arrested Farwell in August 2024 after internal affairs and federal investigations. The Post said he faces one count of killing a witness or victim and one count of killing an unborn baby. [ 1 , 2 ]
According to the Post's account of the prosecution's allegations, Farwell used his authority to groom and sexually exploit Birchmore, with sexual abuse beginning when she was 15. The Globe reported that Birchmore joined Stoughton's Explorers youth program in 2010 and met Farwell, his twin brother William and former deputy chief Robert C. Devine there. The Globe said an internal affairs investigation found inappropriate relationships with Birchmore; William Farwell and Devine face no criminal charges and deny wrongdoing. [ 2 , 3 ]
Fox News and the Post reported that DNA testing excluded Matthew Farwell as the unborn child's father. Prosecutors nevertheless allege he believed he was the father, citing text messages exchanged with Birchmore, Fox reported. The Globe said Birchmore told him she was pregnant on December 28, 2020, and alleged that he began plotting her killing after a friend disclosed the affair to Stoughton police on January 20, 2021. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The trial concerns a 2021 death initially ruled a suicide and later investigated by internal affairs and the FBI. The prosecution alleges Farwell killed Birchmore to conceal a relationship that began when she was a teenager; the defence disputes the killing allegation.
Key facts
- Farwell is accused of killing Sandra Birchmore and staging her death as a suicide. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- Birchmore died on February 1, 2021, at age 23. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Defence lawyers argued that Birchmore died by suicide. [ 6 ]
- DNA testing excluded Farwell as the unborn child's father, according to reports. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The prosecution and defence disagree on whether Birchmore was killed or died by suicide. The Globe reports opposing arguments; the documents provide no verdict.