Former Stoughton police officer charged with killing Sandra Birchmore while she was pregnant
STOUGHTON - Former Stoughton, Massachusetts police detective Matthew Farwell has been accused of killing 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore in 2021 while she was pregnant with what she told him was his child.
A grand jury indictment filed Tuesday in federal court alleges that Farwell strangled Birchmore to death inside her Canton apartment, and then staged the scene to make it look like she had died by suicide. Her death had previously been ruled a suicide with no foul play involved by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Former Stoughton officer Matthew Farwell indicted
The indictment alleges that Farwell "engaged in sexual intercourse and other sex acts with Birchmore" before she turned 16 years old. Birchmore had joined a youth program for kids interested in law enforcement careers called "Stoughton Police Explorers Academy" in 2012, and Farwell was a volunteer instructor at the academy.
Federal prosecutors allege that Farwell "used his authority and access to groom, sexually exploit and ultimately sexually abuse Birchmore when she was 15 years old and continued to have sex with her when she became an adult." He was 27 years old at the time of the alleged assault.
"During some of the shifts when FARWELL was supposed to be performing his duties as a Stoughton police officer, he was instead engaged in sex acts with Birchmore," the indictment stated.
Birchmore told Farwell that he was the father of the child after learning she was pregnant in Dec. 2020, the indictment said. A friend of hers called the Stoughton Police Department on or about Jan. 20, 2021 and reported that Farwell had been having sex with Birchmore.
An employee at the police department told Farwell about the call, and days later Birchmore was found dead on Feb. 4, 2021, the indictment said.
"When it became clear that Mr. Farwell, that he could no longer control Sandra Birchmore, he allegedly silenced her permanently," acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua Levy said at a press conference. "He allegedly attempted to cover his tracks to literally try and get away with murder. And he almost did, until today."
Indictment says Sandra Birchmore did not die by suicide
An affidavit filed by FBI Special Agent Chenee Castruita details the victim's final days and says the evidence suggests Farwell "was making a plan to kill Birchmore."
Birchmore texted someone that Farwell had asked for a key to her apartment in the week leading up to her death. She told the person it was "really odd" that Farwell had come over and looked inside her closet and bathroom.
According to the affidavit, officers found Birchmore dead with a duffle bag strap tied around her neck and connected to the closet door that Farwell had been inspecting. The affidavit also said a doctor interviewed by federal prosecutors made findings "that call into question the prior finding that Birchmore's cause of death was suicide and instead further confirm that Birchmore's cause of death was homicide."
"What we believe Matthew Farwell did as outlined in today's indictment is depraved, and a gross betrayal of his sworn oath and the public's trust," said Stephen Kelleher, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of FBI Boston. "Let me clear. Matthew Farwell's gun and badge did not grant him the authority to violate the constitution."
"Horrific injustice"
Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara said her department has been working with the FBI on the investigation.
"The alleged murder of Sandra is a horrific injustice," she said in a statement. "The allegations against the suspect, a former Stoughton Police Officer, represent the single worst act of not just professional misconduct but indeed human indecency that I have observed in a nearly three-decade career in law enforcement."
Canton police and state police at the Norfolk District Attorney's office initially investigated Birchmore's death, deeming it a suicide and apparently missing surveillance footage and text messages that placed Farwell at the scene of the crime.
A group of people held signs outside federal court Wednesday. They believe Norfolk County investigators should be held accountable. "This charge should have come a long time ago. It never should have gone on this long," said protester Allison Taggart.
Levy would not comment on the prior investigation. "This case is about what went wrong for Sandra Birchmore and how she was treated by Matthew Farwell and how he violated her rights and ultimately killed her. That's what this case is about. It's not about what happens in other state agencies," Levy said.
A spokesman for Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey said Wednesday that the Birchmore case is still "open and active."
"That work has included collaboration with local police, the Attorney General of the Commonwealth, and the FBI, as each entity has unique resources and jurisdiction. Two State Police officers assigned to the Norfolk District Attorney's Office were at the command post for the operation when the apprehension was made in Revere," spokesman David Traub said. "We look forward to supporting and assisting Federal authorities as they pursue this prosecution."
Matthew Farwell arrested in Revere
A SWAT team arrested Farwell Wednesday morning at a Revere shopping plaza, where he was driving a gravel hauler. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison if found guilty on the charge of killing a witness or victim. The death penalty is also a possibility in this case, Levy said.
"Whether to seek the death penalty in a federal case is decided at the highest levels of the Department of Justice," he said. "That decision has not been made on whether the death penalty will be sought in this case and that process will continue but I can't really comment beyond that."
Farwell pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in federal court on Wednesday and was held without bail. A detention hearing is scheduled for Sept. 10.
Other officers involved in Sandra Birchmore case
Former officers Farwell, his twin brother William Farwell and Robert Devine were found to have violated department policies in 2022 after a 19-month investigation. Investigators said the trio displayed a "deeply disturbing pattern of behavior" toward Birchmore.
No other Stoughton police officers were named in the new indictment. Levy would only say it's an "ongoing matter."
In June, The Boston Globe reported that Birchmore's family filed a civil lawsuit against Stoughton police, the town and the three former police officers. A pathologist hired by the family said her death was a murder caused by strangulation.
In response, Chief McNamara said she was "profoundly disturbed and troubled" by the findings and that they "certainly warrant further examination at the highest level."