Former Massachusetts police officer Matthew Farwell has been convicted of strangling pregnant 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore and disguising her killing as a suicide.
After the Nov. 10 verdict, Farwell faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. His sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2027.
Prosecutors argued that Farwell killed Birchmore to stop her from revealing years of sexual abuse that began when she was a minor. They also said he wanted to conceal their relationship from his then-pregnant wife.
Birchmore’s family gasped when the verdict was read, according to CBS News.
“Today justice was served,” U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley said at a news conference after the verdict. “Sandra did not deserve this. When you think of her, I hope you recall the girl full of love, life and hope. That is what Sandra deserves.”
What Happened to Sandra Birchmore?
Birchmore was 12 when she met Farwell in 2010 after joining the Stoughton Police Department’s youth mentoring program.
“Farwell wasted no time beginning to groom Sandra and lure her into his depraved world,” Foley said during the news conference. “Sandra was only 15 years old when he took her virginity—Farwell was 27 years old at that time.”
Their relationship continued for about a decade. Prosecutors said Birchmore eventually gave Farwell an ultimatum: He could have a child with her, and she would keep their affair secret.
When Farwell learned in December 2020 that Birchmore was pregnant, prosecutors said he reacted with outrage and called her “the worst person on the face of the earth.” Birchmore later told friends that Farwell had placed her in a headlock and said he wished she were dead.
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“As the walls were closing in, it became clear to Farwell that he had lost control of Sandra,” Foley said. “She was no longer a vulnerable teenager. She had matured into an independent young woman. She wanted to apply to nursing school. She was eager to start a new chapter in her life.”
According to prosecutors, Farwell decided to kill Birchmore after realizing she had begun telling friends about their relationship.
Surveillance footage showed Farwell, wearing a mask, entering Birchmore’s apartment building on Feb. 1, 2021. Three days later, Birchmore was found dead in her bedroom. A duffel bag strap was wrapped around her neck, with the other end fastened to a closet door handle. Prosecutors said Farwell arranged the scene to make the death appear to be a suicide.
“Less than 12 hours later, he drove to the hospital to be present with his wife for the birth of their third child,” Foley said. “This is absolutely diabolical behavior.”
Farwell was charged with Birchmore’s killing in August 2024. The following year, prosecutors added a charge related to the death of her unborn son. Farwell pleaded not guilty.
Farwell initially believed he was the father of Birchmore’s unborn child. However, a bombshell DNA test later identified the baby’s father as Jason Pickard, a former U.S. Army Reserve recruiter.
During the trial, Farwell’s defense attorneys acknowledged that he had an affair with Birchmore but argued that she had experienced mental health struggles and was suicidal. His lawyers also admitted Farwell was the person seen in the surveillance video, while maintaining that he wore the mask to conceal his identity as a married man.
Farwell’s attorney did not respond to Oxygen’s request for comment after the verdict.
