The trial of a former Massachusetts police officer accused of killing a pregnant 23-year-old woman — and allegedly staging her death as a suicide to cover up years of sexual abuse — is unfolding in federal court.
Matthew Farwell, a former Stoughton officer, is accused of killing Sandra Birchmore in February 2021 to prevent her from speaking out about his alleged sexual exploitation, which federal prosecutors say began when she was a minor.
Farwell has pleaded not guilty and maintained his innocence, with his defense team arguing that Birchmore died by suicide.
Here’s everything to know about the case against Farwell, who faces a mandatory life sentence if convicted.
Matthew Farwell’s Alleged Grooming of Sandra Birchmore
Sandra Birchmore first crossed paths with Matthew Farwell when she was 12 years old, after joining the Stoughton Police Department’s Explorer’s Program in 2010—an educational law enforcement program for children.
Farwell was an instructor for the program at the time, according to prosecutors, who say he used his position to groom and sexually abuse her beginning when she was 15.
FBI Special Agent Heidi Kelsch has testified about explicit text messages exchanged between the two, including a discussion in which Farwell allegedly described taking Birchmore’s virginity when she was 15 years old in April 2013, per MassLive. Farwell was 27 at the time, according to prosecutors.
“He was supposed to be mentoring her in an after-school program run by the police department, but, instead, he was having sex with her when she was underage,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Torey B. Cummings said on October 9, 2026, during opening statements at trial.
“The defendant continued to meet Sandra for sex over the next eight years, often when he was on the clock and supposed to be working as a police officer,” Cummings continued.
Farwell served with the Stoughton Police Department between March 2012 and April 2022. He married his wife in 2013 and has three children, including his youngest, who was born one day after Birchmore’s death, according to The Boston Globe.
Birchmore’s Pregnancy and What She Told Farwell
In the fall of 2020, prosecutors say, Farwell agreed to try to impregnate Birchmore in exchange for her keeping the details of their alleged relationship private. The deal came after Birchmore threatened to tell Farwell’s wife about their affair when she discovered his wife was pregnant with their third child in October 2020, per The Boston Globe.
After Birchmore found out she was expecting in December 2020, she texted Farwell to share the news, believing he was the father.
“Congrats, we are going to be parents in 2021,” she wrote at the time, Kelsch testified on October 19, 2026.
Farwell responded hours later, according to the newspaper: “I literally have nothing to say right now.”
Birchmore shared the news with at least eight other people around the same time, Kelsch said. In court on Monday, the agent testified that Birchmore “really wanted a baby” while Farwell was “less enthusiastic,” according to Boston 25 News.
After Birchmore revealed the pregnancy to Farwell, she told loved ones that he had become violent with her, prosecutors said. He allegedly said he wished her dead.
Farwell Indicted in Birchmore’s Death
Prosecutors have argued that Farwell strangled Birchmore to death in her Canton apartment in February 2021 — weeks after she discovered her pregnancy. Birchmore was around eight to 10 weeks pregnant when she died, according to Farwell’s indictment.
Her death was initially ruled a suicide. But federal investigators later uncovered new evidence allegedly linking Farwell to the killing, leading to his indictment.
Postmortem DNA testing confirmed that Farwell was not the biological father of Birchmore’s unborn son, per The Boston Globe.
Farwell was initially indicted in Birchmore’s death. Then in October 2025, he was indicted in connection with the death of her unborn son, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
He has pleaded not guilty to one count of killing a witness or victim, in relation to Birchmore, and one count of causing the death of her unborn child, records show.
According to an August 2024 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Farwell allegedly killed Birchmore after she told him she was pregnant with his baby and “expected him to be involved, at least in part, in the child’s life.”
Farwell’s trial began on October 6, 2026, with jury selection, followed by opening statements.
Throughout the proceedings, Farwell’s defense has contended that Birchmore died by suicide. He has maintained his innocence.
If Farwell is found guilty, he faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison, according to prosecutors.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
