Cop Charged with Murdering Pregnant Woman, Staging Death to Look Like Suicide: DA

Matthew Farwell, 38, of North Easton, MA, worked as a police officer in Stoughton, MA from March 27, 2012 until approximately April 1, 2022, per the DA's office press release. He was arrested Wednesday morning in relation to Birchmore's 2021 death at 23 years old.

The allegations against him, per the DA, are that Farwell killed Birchmore by strangulation in her apartment and then staged the scene to make it appear that she had committed suicide. Per the press release, it is believed he did so to prevent law enforcement from discovering his criminal sexual relationship with the victim.

According to the indictment, as shared by HuffPost, Birchmore and Farwell allegedly met through her involvement with the local "Police Explorers" program, which she joined in March 2010 when she was 12 years old. At that time, Farwell was a volunteer for the program, ultimately joining the police department in 2012 and becoming a Police Explorers instructor.

When he was 26 year old and Birchmore was 15 years old, Farwell is accused of communicating with her online, per the court filing, which claims he would "sexually groom her under the guise of providing academic tutoring" at the Stoughton Public Library.

Prosecutors believe the relationship became sexual in 2013, but that a text message cited in the indictment showed that he expressed to Birchmore he would have liked to have had sex with her even sooner.

Once Birchmore reached legal adulthood, authorities state that Farwell began what the DA described as a "controlling and sometimes abusive relationship" with her. The DA's office further alleges that some sexual encounters happened while Farwell was on duty, which could make them violations of multiple federal laws, including coercion, enticement, deprivation of rights under color of law, and wire fraud.

The pair entered into an agreement in October 2020, per the court documents, with Farwell allegedly agreeing to have a child with Birchmore in exchange for her keeping quiet about their criminal sexual encounters.

When she became pregnant, however, prosecutors believe Farwell "responded poorly," becoming "physically violent" with her. The indictment reports that she described to friends being "pushed and shoved" by Farwell.

At one point while pregnant, per the indictment, "Farwell allegedly held Birchmore in a headlock and told her that he wished she were dead."

It was a friend of Birchmore who ultimately contacted police in January 2021 about the alleged physical abuse, per the DA's office. When Farwell was informed about the call by an employee of the department, prosecutors say he "angrily demanded the employee never tell anyone about the information."

He then allegedly texted Birchmore, per the court filing, "What else do I have to worry about now? Which other friend will do something tomorrow." Prosecutors believe this is when Farwell began plotting her death.

On February 1, 2021, Birchmore was found dead in her apartment "in a seated position with a strap around her neck and door knob," per the court filing. The state medical examiner's office ruled her death a suicide the following month, but her family wasn't fully satisfied.

They launched a Facebook page about her death, which gained thousands of supporters, and followed that up with a wrongful death lawsuit (available here, courtesy of HuffPost) in December 2022. Therein, they accused Farwell and two additional officers of pushing Birchmore to suicide.

It was their belief, per the suit, that all three men engaged in sexual acts with Birchmore while she was still a minor and part of the Police Explorers program.

All three men either denied the claim or claimed not to have enough knowledge to confirm or deny any responsibility in her death. All three voluntarily left their positions with the department. Neither of the other two men are facing charges in relation to this case.

As reported by The Boston Globe in June, a forensic pathologist hired by the victim's family determined that her death was a homicide. The indictment of Farwell is applauded by the family, but they believe the work remains undone.

A message posted to the "Justice for Sandra Birchmore" website reads, "This is not the end. It is just the beginning to getting Sandra and her unborn child the justice they deserve."

After Farwell's arrest, Stoughton police chief Donna McNamara released a statement that there has been an ongoing internal affairs investigation since "the day after Sandra Birchmore was found dead in her Canton apartment."

"The alleged murder of Sandra is a horiffic injustice," McNamara said in her 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."

She went on to say that her "life's work" has been to "ensure that justice was served" in this case, as "Sandra Birchmore received no justice during her life. It is imperative that justice be served in her death, and today’s actions appear to bring our society one step closer to justice."

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, "the charge of killing a witness or victim carries a mandatory sentence of death or life in prison." It is not yet known if Farwell has entered a plea.

The National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline -- 800.656.HOPE (4673) -- provides free, 24/7 support for those in need.