Spectators watch takedown of former Stoughton detective in Revere strip mall

REVERE, Mass. — The arrest of former Stoughton police detective Matthew Farwell in a Revere strip mall caught shoppers and employees by surprise Wednesday morning.

The FBI apprehended the 38-year-old at the Northgate Shopping Center while he was driving a gravel truck.

The arrest came after he was indicted on charges that he murdered a pregnant 23-year-old more than three years ago.

Prosecutors said Farwell groomed Sandra Birchmore when she was a teen and sexually abused her before staging her suicide in 2021.

Investigators believe he was the father of her unborn baby.

Court records show Farwell met Birchmore when she was 13-years-old and enrolled in a law enforcement youth program.

“People came in the store and said the FBI was out front and arresting someone. I went outside and saw a bunch of cops running around,” said one employee at the Revere strip mall.  “I don’t have any respect for someone who would do that, especially to a child.”

People who watched the arrest unfold did not know the circumstances at the time.

They were stunned by the details that were released by federal authorities later in the day.

“I think he’s a clown. He should’ve never been doing what he was doing, and it’s out of hand,” said Joe Cautillo.

Several people who witnessed the arrest said they saw black smoke rising from the ground during the commotion.

They believe it was caused by some type of diversionary device like a flashbang.

It’s still unclear what Farwell was doing at the Revere strip mall or why he was driving a gravel truck.

He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison if found guilty on the charge of killing a witness or victim.

The death penalty is also a possibility in this case.

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

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