‘Heinous’: Ex-Stoughton officer strangled Sandra Birchmore, staged her death as suicide, feds say

STOUGHTON, Mass. — Former Stoughton Police Department detective Matthew Farwell has been indicted on charges that he killed Sandra Birchmore, a 23-year-old woman who was pregnant with his child, inside her Canton apartment and then staged her death as a suicide, court records show.

The federal indictment charges Farwell, 38, of North Easton, with killing a witness or a victim, Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Boston announced Wednesday afternoon.

Farwell, who pleaded not guilty in federal court in Boston, is accused of sexually exploiting Birchmore when she was underage and then trying to make her death look like a suicide after she told him she was pregnant.

Levy detailed the allegations against Farwell to reporters during a press conference.

“He strangled Sandra Birchmore to death. That’s the allegation in this case. He used his knowledge and experience as a law enforcement officer to stage her death to look like a suicide,” Levy said.

“He allegedly attempted to cover his tracks to literally try and get away with murder. And he almost did, until today,” Levy said.

The criminal indictment comes after Birchmore’s family suggested in a new report that the young woman was the victim of a homicide, not a suicide as first announced by authorities following her death in 2021.

The indictment alleges that Farwell killed Birchmore “on or about” Feb. 1, 2021, by strangulation and then “staged” her apartment “to make it appear as if Birchmore had committed suicide.”

An FBI Boston SWAT team arrested Farwell in Revere on Wednesday morning. Farwell, who authorities said was driving a dump truck when he was arrested, was slated to make an initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon.

Farwell killed Birchmore “with malice aforethought, willfully, deliberately, maliciously, and with premeditation” to prevent law enforcement from learning about his commission or possible commission of federal offenses.

In his capacity as a police officer, Farwell served as an instructor for the Stoughton Police Department’s Explorer’s Program, which is a vocational education program designed for youth to learn about careers in law enforcement. Court documents showed that Birchmore joined the program in 2010 when she was 12 years of age.

Farwell allegedly used his authority and access to groom, sexually exploit, and ultimately sexually abuse Birchmore when she was 15 years old and continued to have sex with her when she became an adult up until her death.

“Before Birchmore attained the age of 16, Farwell engaged in sexual intercourse and other sex acts with Birchmore,” court documents stated. “Farwell’s sexual contact with Birchmore continued until in or around early 2021.”

Levy said that early on, Farwell had befriended Birchmore, then a teenager, and contacted her online, becoming her friend on Facebook, essentially grooming her.

Farwell, then 27, began having sex with Birchmore when she was 15, which is statutory rape, Levy said.

“He continued to have sex with her until her death, meeting her for sex regularly while he was on duty and paid by the Stoughton Police Department,” Levy said.

To conceal his having sex with the young Birchmore while on duty, Farwell allegedly falsely represented that he had worked certain hours, when in fact he was not working but engaging in sex acts, investigators said.

Birchmore learned that she was pregnant in December 2020 and was excited about the pregnancy, scheduling doctors’ appointments, purchasing items for childcare, and telling loved ones how happy she was to become a mother, according to court documents.

Birchmore “was very excited about becoming a mother,” Levy said, and had good friends, a good job, “and dreams of becoming a nurse.”

Birchmore told Farwell that he was the father of the child and that she expected him to be at least somewhat involved in the child’s life.

Birchmore disclosed to loved ones that Farwell allegedly became violent with her when they discussed the pregnancy and his role in the child’s life. At one point while she was pregnant, Farwell allegedly held Birchmore in a headlock and told her that he wished she were dead.

Birchmore’s friend reportedly called Stoughton police in late January 2021 to report that Farwell had been having sex with her. According to the paperwork, a Stoughton Police Department employee informed Farwell of the phone call and days later, Birchmore was found dead in what initially appeared to be a suicide by hanging.

Facing perceived imminent disclosure of his criminal conduct, Farwell “murdered Birchmore to silence her,” federal investigators said.

“This case is about seeking justice for Sandra, who we believe was killed by Matthew Farwell after he allegedly groomed and sexually abused her when she was just 15 years old, violating her body and her civil rights,” Steven Kelleher, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for FBI Boston, said during Wednesday’s press conference.

“It’s also about keeping Mr. Farwell from getting away with murder and from harming someone else,” Kelleher said.

“We in law enforcement are entrusted with immense authority, because our decisions can have life-changing consequences, both good and bad,” Kelleher said. “To temper that power we must adhere to the highest of ethical standards.”

“What we believe Officer Matthew Farwell did as outlined in today’s indictment is “depraved and a gross betrayal of his sworn oath and the public’s trust,” Kelleher said.

A 2022 internal investigation by Stoughton police found that Matthew Farwell, his twin brother and coworker William Farwell, and Robert C. Devine, a former deputy chief in Stoughton, had all had “inappropriate” relationships with Birchmore.

In a wrongful death lawsuit filed in Norfolk Superior Court against the three officers, Stoughton police, and others, Birchmore’s family disputed her death was a suicide. The suit alleged the officers were involved in a conspiracy to sexually groom Birchmore when she was as young as 15.

In July, the state attorney general’s office confirmed its criminal investigation into the death of Birchmore.

Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara called Birchmore’s killing a “horrific injustice.”

“The alleged murder of Sandra is a horrific injustice. The allegations against the suspect, a former Stoughton Police Officer, represent the single worst act of not just professional misconduct but indeed human indecency that I have observed in a nearly three-decade career in law enforcement,” McNamara said in a statement.

After Birchmore’s death, McNamara said she “ordered a lengthy and aggressive internal affairs investigation, the instructions of which made it clear that no stone should be left unturned.”

“Sandra Birchmore received no justice during her life. It is imperative that justice be served in her death, and today’s actions appear to bring our society one step closer to justice,” McNamara added.

In a statement, the Norfolk DA’s office said, “The Birchmore investigation has remained open and active...We look forward to supporting and assisting federal authorities as they pursue this prosecution.”

The Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner says they’re cooperating with the feds:

“The Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is aware of the federal indictment related to the tragic death of Sandra Birchmore. The Medical Examiner’s Office has fully cooperated with the U.S. Attorney’s Office on this investigation and will continue to do so. To uphold the integrity of this active federal investigation and prosecution, the OCME respectfully declines to publicly comment on this matter at this time.”

In Birchmore’s death certificate, an OCME spokesperson says the cause of death was listed as asphyxia by hanging, and the manner was suicide.

The charge of killing a witness or victim carries a mandatory sentence of death or life in prison.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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