Former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell charged with murder of Sandra Birchmore

Local news

Farwell is said to have killed Birchmore after being told that she was pregnant and he was the father.

Federal authorities held a press conference on the charges at 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday.

Prosecutors have filed charges against Matthew Farwell, a former Stoughton police detective, on suspicion of killing 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore.

Birchmore was pregnant at the time of her death in February 2021. After learning he was the child's father, Farwell strangled Birchmore and staged the scene to make it appear as if she had taken her own life, according to documents filed by federal authorities in U.S. District Court on Tuesday.

“The day after Sandra Birchmore was found dead in her Canton apartment, I ordered a lengthy and aggressive internal investigation, with directions that made clear that no stone would be left unturned,” Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara said in a statement. “The Stoughton Police Department has assisted and cooperated with other agencies, including the FBI investigation that today resulted in a murder charge that concluded Sandra was killed.”

Farwell was arrested without incident around 10:45 a.m. Wednesday morning. He was driving a gravel truck at a shopping center in Revere when FBI agents arrested him, said Assistant Special Agent Stephen Kelleher.

Farwell was an instructor at the Stoughton Police Explorers Academy, a program designed to open career opportunities for young people in the police force. Birchmore participated in the program from 2010 to 2016. Farwell began working as an instructor in 2012, the indictment states.

Farwell befriended Birchmore, went to the library with her and contacted her through social media. He “essentially set her up,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy.

When Birchmore was 15 and Farwell was 27, he allegedly had sex with her. They reportedly continued to have sexual relations until early 2021, with Farwell secretly meeting Birchmore while he was on duty. In December 2020, Birchmore told Farwell that she was pregnant with his child, according to the documents.

Birchmore was “very excited” to become a mother, Levy said. She bought baby clothes and took precautions to ensure her child's health. Birchmore texted Farwell a picture of a poster she had made to celebrate the pregnancy, Kelleher said.

“Sandra Birchmore had good friends, she had a good job, she dreamed of being a nurse, and she was expecting a child. But Mr. Farwell did not share that enthusiasm,” Levy said.

Birchmore wanted Farwell to be involved in the child's life. When Birchmore began making demands on Farwell, such as asking him to accompany her to doctor's appointments, he became angry, according to prosecutors.

Word of their relationship got around. Prosecutors say a friend of Birchmore's called Stoughton police on Jan. 20, 2021, and told a co-worker that Farwell had had sex with Birchmore. Farwell learned about the call from a co-worker shortly afterward.

Farwell “became visibly angry” when he learned of the call. He then began to physically abuse Birchmore. She told her friends that Farwell pushed her and put her in a headlock. At one point, he told her he wished she were dead, prosecutors said.

“When Mr. Farwell realized he could no longer control Sandra Birchmore, he allegedly silenced her permanently,” Levy said.

Farwell is believed to have planned Birchmore's murder. He first asked for a spare key to her apartment and asked her to keep it a secret. A week before Birchmore's death, Farwell visited her apartment and began searching her closets and bathroom, including the closet in front of which Birchmore was later found dead, Levy said.

Authorities allege Farwell killed Birchmore on Feb. 1, 2021. After strangling her, Farwell staged Birchmore's Canton apartment to make it look like she had killed herself, prosecutors wrote.

“Let me be clear: Matthew Farwell's gun and badge did not give him the authority to violate the Constitution. And they certainly did not give him the right to sexually abuse, exploit and rape a child before killing her and her unborn baby to cover up his alleged crimes,” Kelleher said.

Farwell “used his knowledge and experience as a law enforcement officer” to make her death look like a suicide, Levy said.

Over the past year, the FBI, Levy's office and state law enforcement have uncovered “critical” new evidence and investigated existing information that led to this week's indictment. Levy said Farwell could face additional charges at the state level.

Authorities found evidence that did not lead them to believe Birchmore committed suicide. In the hours before her death, she had contacted a photographer to book a photo shoot for her newborn. She contacted a friend to get baby clothes. And Birchmore was doing laundry at the time of her death, with one load of clothes in the washer and another in the dryer, Kelleher said.

Farwell was accused of killing Birchmore “willfully, intentionally, wantonly and with intent” and allegedly attempting to prevent communications with law enforcement officials containing information about the crime.

The charge of killing a witness or victim in federal court carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison, but may also result in the death penalty.

Three months after her body was found, the state medical examiner's office determined that Birchmore had committed suicide. But earlier this summer, a medical examiner hired by Birchmore's family issued a report that concluded she was the victim of homicide and died by strangulation.

Farwell and his twin brother William were accused of grooming and repeatedly sexually abusing Birchmore in a 2022 wrongful death lawsuit filed by Birchmore's estate.

Authorities stressed on Wednesday that investigations were still ongoing.

“The alleged murder of Sandra is a horrific injustice. The allegations against the suspect, a former Stoughton Police Officer, represent not only the worst act of professional misconduct but also of human indecency that I have witnessed in my nearly three-decade law enforcement career,” McNamara said. “It has been my life's work for the past three years to ensure that justice is served. As I have said before, Sandra Birchmore did not receive justice during her lifetime. It is imperative that justice be served in her death, and today's actions seem to bring our society one step closer to justice.”