Police Detective Charged With Killing Pregnant 23-Year Old Sandra Birchmore

Detective Farwell began raping her when she was 13, when she joined the Police Young Explorers Program, Birchmore was pregnant with his baby

Former Stoughton police officer charged with killing Sandra Birchmore while she was pregnant with his baby

By Neal Riley

August 28, 2024 / 12:56 PM EDT / CBS Boston

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.

U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy will hold a news conference at 1:45 p.m. announcing Farwell's arrest and the charges against him. You can watch the news conference live on CBS News Boston in the video player above.

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.

Sandra Birchmore was found dead in her Canton apartment in 2021. FACEBOOK PHOTO

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, the indictment 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."

History of 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.

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, Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara said she was "profoundly disturbed and troubled" by the findings and that they "certainly warrant further examination at the highest level."

https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/sandra-birchmore-matthew-farwell-stoughton-police-charges/