BOSTON — Opening statements concluded Friday, Oct. 9, in the federal murder trial of former Stoughton police detective Matthew Farwell, who is accused of killing 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore and her unborn son in a Matthew Farwell trial that could end with a mandatory life sentence.
TL;DR: A jury of 10 men and six women, plus four alternates, was sworn in at Boston’s Moakley U.S. Courthouse. Prosecutors allege Farwell groomed and sexually abused Birchmore from age 15, then strangled her on Feb. 1, 2021, staging the scene as a suicide by hanging to silence her. The defense says he made serious mistakes but did not kill her. Farwell is presumed innocent.
Prosecution: ‘She could end his life with the information she had’
Assistant U.S. Attorney Torey B. Cummings, in a 40-minute opening, alleged an eight-year pattern of abuse: Farwell, then 27 and an instructor in the Stoughton Police Explorers program, sent Birchmore a Facebook friend request in 2012 when she was 15, tutored her at a local library in 2013, and allegedly began sexually abusing her. Jurors will see more than 40,000 messages exchanged between the two, prosecutors said, including encounters they allege occurred while Farwell was on duty as a Stoughton officer.
Prosecutors said Birchmore increasingly understood she had been victimized and began telling other people. After her friend reported the relationship to Stoughton police in January 2021, Cummings said Farwell ‘knew he had a real problem.’ They allege he strangled Birchmore — about eight weeks pregnant with a baby boy — on Feb. 1, 2021, and staged her body to make the death appear to be a suicide by hanging.
‘She could end his life with the information she had,’ Cummings told the jury. ‘So he decided to end hers first.’
Defense: a flawed man, but not a murderer
Federal public defender Kimberly Stevens opened by acknowledging Farwell’s misconduct rather than defending all of his behavior. She characterized him as a flawed man who made serious mistakes, but argued those mistakes do not make him a murderer.
The defense’s position is that Farwell did not kill Birchmore and that she died by suicide. Stevens reminded jurors of the prosecution’s burden of proving the charges beyond a reasonable doubt, and she challenged the theory that the alleged killing aimed to prevent disclosure to federal law enforcement — noting Birchmore had only threatened to tell Farwell’s wife, who is not a federal officer.
The charges: two counts, mandatory life
According to the superseding indictment returned Oct. 28, 2025, Farwell faces two federal charges, each carrying a mandatory life sentence:
Count 1 — Killing a witness or victim (18 U.S.C. 1512): The Justice Department alleges Farwell killed Birchmore to prevent her from telling law enforcement about his alleged federal offenses.
Count 2 — Protection of unborn children: The indictment alleges Farwell caused the death of a child in utero when he fatally strangled Birchmore. She was carrying a baby boy with a gestational age between 8 and 10 weeks. Court documents allege Farwell agreed to try to impregnate her in the fall of 2020 to keep her from publicly disclosing their relationship.
A case years in the making
Birchmore was found dead in her Canton apartment on Feb. 4, 2021. At the time, investigators with the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office and the Massachusetts medical examiner concluded she died by suicide. The case turned in June 2024, when a pathologist hired by Birchmore’s family concluded her death was a homicide. Two months later, a federal grand jury indicted Farwell, and FBI agents arrested him in August 2024.
Chief U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper is presiding. Cameras are barred from federal criminal trials, so at least two overflow rooms were opened for reporters and the public on Friday.
No protesters or Birchmore supporters gathered outside the courthouse on Day 1, though members of the ‘Justice for Sandra Birchmore’ movement, a Facebook group with more than 20,000 followers, spoke with media after the proceedings.
Source: The Enterprise News
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Matthew Farwell?
Matthew Farwell is a former Stoughton, Massachusetts, police detective. He is charged in federal court with killing Sandra Birchmore and her unborn child. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Who was Sandra Birchmore?
Sandra Birchmore was a 23-year-old woman from the Stoughton area who was found dead in her Canton apartment on Feb. 4, 2021. She was about eight weeks pregnant with a baby boy at the time.
What is Farwell charged with?
Two federal counts: killing a witness or victim (18 U.S.C. 1512), alleging he killed Birchmore to prevent her from reporting his alleged federal offenses, and causing the death of a child in utero. Both carry mandatory life.
What do prosecutors allege happened?
Prosecutors allege Farwell groomed and sexually abused Birchmore beginning when she was 15, continued the relationship for about eight years, and strangled her on Feb. 1, 2021, staging the scene to look like a suicide by hanging, to silence her.
What is the defense’s argument?
Farwell’s public defender says he made serious mistakes but did not kill Birchmore, arguing she died by suicide and that the prosecution cannot prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Why did it take years for charges to be filed?
State investigators originally ruled Birchmore’s death a suicide. A pathologist hired by her family concluded in June 2024 that it was a homicide, and a federal grand jury indicted Farwell two months later. He was arrested by the FBI in August 2024.
Where is the trial being held?
The John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse in Boston, before Chief U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper. Cameras are not permitted in federal criminal trials.
What happened on Day 1?
Jury selection finished in the morning — 10 men, six women, plus four alternates — and both sides delivered opening statements. No protesters gathered outside the courthouse.
Featured image: The John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse in Boston, where the trial is being held. Image via blog.mozilla.com.tw.
