Former Stoughton Officer Matthew Farwell Convicted in Killing of Sandra Birchmore and Her Unborn Child

The verdict came Tuesday afternoon in federal court in South Boston, and when the clerk read it aloud, members of Sandra Birchmore's family gasped. A jury had found former Stoughton, Massachusetts, police officer Matthew Farwell guilty of killing Birchmore and her unborn child.

Farwell was charged with killing a witness or victim and causing the death of an unborn child. He pleaded not guilty. The jury had signaled in a note on Monday that it had reached a point in its deliberations, though the source does not spell out the contents of that note. The trial ran four weeks, and jurors heard from 50 witnesses.

The witness-killing charge carried a specific burden. Jurors had to find not only that Farwell killed Birchmore, but that he did it to keep her from reporting his crimes to federal authorities. Farwell now faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Sentencing is set for Feb. 3, 2027. The Department of Justice could have pursued a harsher punishment against him but decided last year that it would not.

The relationship at the center of the case began in Stoughton's police youth explorers program. Birchmore joined as a 13-year-old cadet, and that is where she met Farwell. Prosecutors say he began a sexual relationship with her when she was 15.

In February 2021, Birchmore, then 23, was found dead in her Canton apartment with a strap hanging around her neck. Her death was first ruled a suicide. More than three years later, the medical examiner changed that finding to "undetermined." Prosecutors argued that Farwell strangled her while she was pregnant with a child she believed was his, then staged the scene to look like suicide to cover up the years-long affair. The defense countered that Birchmore had a history of mental health struggles and took her own life because Farwell had told her he was not the father and that the relationship was over.

Outside court, Birchmore's cousin, Barbara Wright, described a mix of sadness, happiness and relief. "It's been almost six years since we lost Sandra and let's not forget her baby boy," she said. "We finally got justice." She added that the family had fought long and hard, and that Birchmore had waited a long time. U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley said at a news conference that justice was served for Birchmore and her unborn son, called the trial evidence "shocking and clear," and described Farwell's conduct as "absolutely diabolical."

The verdict also puts a spotlight on the state prosecutors who did not bring a case. Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey's office has drawn criticism from Birchmore's loved ones for declining to prosecute Farwell on state charges. In a statement, Morrissey said his office was constrained by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner's finding that the manner of death was suicide. He said the office referred the case to the Attorney General's Office, worked with federal prosecutors, funded development of additional evidence, and had made its case file public as early as October 2022. He said he hoped the verdict brings closure and that his office would have no further comment.

The Stoughton Police Department responded as well. Acting Chief James O'Connor called the verdict the outcome Birchmore, her unborn child and her family had deserved for more than five years, and described the case as a profound betrayal of the trust officers are sworn to uphold. He said Farwell no longer wears the badge and does not represent the department. Chief Donna McNamara, currently on paid leave amid an investigation unrelated to the Farwell case, said the jury confirmed that Birchmore was murdered by a police officer who exploited her trust in the badge. She noted that some wanted Birchmore forgotten, and added that more questions remain unanswered than answered, even after the verdict.

The next marker is the Feb. 3, 2027 sentencing, where the mandatory life term will be imposed.