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.
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 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.
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.”
“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.
A spokesman for Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey said Wednesday that the Birchmore case is still “open and active.”
Matthew Farwell arrested in Revere A SWAT team arrested Farwell Wednesday morning at a Revere shopping plaza, where he was driving a gravel hauler.
“Whether to seek the death penalty in a federal case is decided at the highest levels of the Department of Justice,” he said.
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.
STOUGHTON—Matthew Farwell, a former police detective in Stoughton, Massachusetts, is charged with killing Sandra Birchmore, 23, in 2021 while she was carrying a child that she claimed to be his.
According to a grand jury indictment submitted to federal court on Tuesday, Farwell killed Birchmore by strangulation inside her Canton apartment before setting up the scene to suggest that Birchmore had committed suicide. Her death had previously been determined by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to be a suicide with no evidence of foul play.
Indicted is Matthew Farwell, a former Stoughton officer.
According to the indictment, prior to turning 16, Farwell “engaged in sexual intercourse and other sex acts with Birchmore.”. In 2012, Birchmore enrolled in the Stoughton Police Explorers Academy, a youth program for children interested in a career in law enforcement. Farwell volunteered as an instructor at the academy.
Authorities from the federal government claim that Farwell “used his authority and access to groom, sexually exploit, and ultimately sexually abuse Birchmore when she was fifteen years old and continued to have sex with her when she became an adult.”. When the alleged assault occurred, he was 27 years old.
The indictment said that FARWELL was “engaging in sex acts with Birchmore during some of the shifts when he was supposed to be performing his duties as a Stoughton police officer.”.
After discovering Farwell was expecting in December, Birchmore informed her that he was the child’s father. 2020 stated in the indictment. On or around January, one of her friends gave the Stoughton Police Department a call. revealed that Farwell and Birchmore had been having sex on January 20, 2021.
After telling Farwell about the call, a police department employee discovered Birchmore dead on February. Indictment number four was 2021.
“Mrdot Farwell allegedly permanently silenced Sandra Birchmore when it became apparent that he could no longer control her,” according to acting U.S. S. Joshua Levy, an attorney for Massachusetts, stated during a press conference. “They say he tried to hide his identity in an attempt to actually escape punishment for killing someone. And up until today, he came very close. “. .
According to the indictment, Sandra Birchmore did not take her own life.
FBI Special Agent Chenee Castruita’s affidavit, which describes the victim’s last days, states that there is evidence to suggest Farwell “was making a plan to kill Birchmore.”. “. .
In the week before she passed away, Birchmore texted someone to let them know that Farwell had requested a key to her apartment. She informed the person that Farwell’s visit and inspection of her bathroom and closet were “really odd.”.
In the affidavit, it states that Birchmore was discovered dead by the police, with a duffle bag strap fastened around her neck and attached to the closet door Farwell had been examining. A physician questioned by federal prosecutors produced results “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,” according to the affidavit. “. .
Assistant Special Agent in Charge of FBI Boston Stephen Kelleher stated, “We believe that Matthew Farwell did what is detailed in today’s indictment is depraved, and a gross betrayal of his sworn oath and the public’s trust.”. “Let me clarify. The gun and badge Matthew Farwell was wearing did not give him the right to break the law. ****.
“Absolute injustice”.
Chief of Stoughton Police Donna McNamara said that the FBI and her agency have been collaborating on the probe.
She declared in a statement, “The suspected murder of Sandra is a horrific injustice.”. “In nearly three decades of working in law enforcement, the charges against the suspect, a former Stoughton Police Officer, represent the single worst act of human decency as well as professional misconduct that I have ever seen.”. ****.
Upon conducting an initial investigation, Canton police and state police at the Norfolk District Attorney’s office concluded that Birchmore’s death was a suicide. They also noted that there was a lack of surveillance footage and text messages that could have identified Farwell as the crime scene.
On Wednesday, a number of individuals carried signs in front of the federal court. They think that investigators from Norfolk County ought to be held responsible. “A long time ago, this charge ought to have been brought. “This should never have continued for this long,” protester Allison Taggart declared.
Regarding the earlier inquiry, Levy would not comment. This case concerns Sandra Birchmore’s mistreatment, rights violations, and eventual death at the hands of Matthew Farwell. This case revolves around that. What occurs in other state agencies is not relevant,” Levy stated.
The Birchmore case is still “open and active,” according to a spokesman for Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey on Wednesday. “. .
Because each organization has distinct resources and jurisdiction, cooperation with local police, the Attorney General of the Commonwealth, and the FBI has been a part of that work. The apprehension occurred in Revere because two State Police officers assigned to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office were at the operation’s command post, according to spokesman David Traub. “We are eager to work with and support federal authorities in their pursuit of this prosecution. “. .
Arrested in Revere is Matthew Farwell.
Driving a gravel hauler in a shopping plaza in Revere, Farwell was apprehended by a SWAT team on Wednesday morning. If found guilty of the charge of killing a witness or victim, he will be sentenced to life in prison. According to Levy, the death penalty is also an option in this instance.
“The highest levels of the Department of Justice decide whether to seek the death penalty in a federal case,” he stated. “I can’t really comment beyond that; the decision regarding whether the death penalty will be sought in this case has not been made, and that process will continue. ****.
During his arraignment in federal court on Wednesday, Farwell entered a not guilty plea and was detained without bond. On September, a detention hearing is set. Ten.
Additional police officers engaged in the Sandra Birchmore case.
Following a 19-month investigation, former officers Robert Devine, William Farwell, and Farwell were found to have broken departmental policies in 2022. The three exhibited a “deeply disturbing pattern of behavior” toward Birchmore, according to the investigators.
The updated indictment contained no names of other Stoughton police officers. Levy would only describe it as a “continuing matter.”. “.
Birchmore’s family filed a civil lawsuit against the town of Stoughton, the three former police officers, and the police department in June, according to a June Boston Globe article. Her death was ruled a murder by strangulation by a pathologist the family had hired.
