Follow-Up: Former Detective Matthew Farwell Convicted of Murdering Sandra Birchmore, Faces Life in Prison
BOSTON, Suffolk County, Massachusetts — A federal jury on November 10 convicted former Stoughton police detective Matthew Farwell of killing Sandra Birchmore, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts announced. Farwell, 41, of Easton, was convicted of one count of killing a witness or victim and one count of causing the death of an unborn child. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for February 3, 2027.
GSM previously reported that jury selection in the case began on October 6 and that jurors began deliberating on November 6 after closing arguments. Prosecutors told the jury that Farwell met Birchmore when she joined the Stoughton Police Department's Explorer Program at age 12 in 2010, began sexually exploiting her while she was a minor, and engaged in sex acts with her while on duty.
According to trial evidence, Birchmore became pregnant in late 2020, and both she and Farwell believed he was the father. On January 20, 2021, a caller told the Stoughton Police Department about the sexual relationship, and Farwell sent Birchmore angry text messages after learning of the call. Twelve days later, on February 1, 2021, surveillance footage showed Farwell entering her Canton apartment building at about 9:14 p.m. and leaving at about 9:43 p.m.; her phone's last recorded movement was at 9:40 p.m. Prosecutors said he strangled Birchmore, killing her and her unborn son, and staged the scene to look like a suicide by hanging. Less than 12 hours later, he drove to the hospital for the birth of his third child with his wife.
Birchmore's death was initially ruled a suicide by state authorities. In October 2023, several witnesses contacted federal authorities, and Farwell was charged federally in August 2024.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley said after the verdict that despite Farwell's attempt to silence Birchmore, her story was told today, and that he now faces life in federal prison. Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Boston Division, said the verdict holds the former officer responsible for killing the young woman and her unborn child in a calculated attempt to silence her.
The charge of killing a witness or victim carries a mandatory sentence of death or life in prison, and the charge of causing the death of an unborn child carries a sentence of no less than life in prison. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Riley, Torey B. Cummings and Brian A. Fogerty are prosecuting the case.
(Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Boston 的 John Joseph Moakley 美国联邦法院大楼隔港外景，Farwell 案在此审理。照片：4300streetcar，经 Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 4.0。 / Image: The John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse in Boston seen across the harbor, where the Farwell case was tried. Photo by 4300streetcar, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
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- 2026-11-06Follow-Up: Jury Begins Deliberations After Closing Arguments in Former Detective's Trial for Killing Pregnant Woman
- 2026-11-10Follow-Up: Former Detective Matthew Farwell Convicted of Murdering Sandra Birchmore, Faces Life in PrisonThis story
