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Ex-Cop Faces Trial in Mistress's Murder
9 Oct
Summary
- Ex-officer accused of strangling pregnant mistress.
- Prosecutors allege grooming began in teen years.
- Death initially ruled suicide before charges.
The murder trial for former Stoughton Police Officer Matthew Farwell commenced following a hearing on October 6, 2026. Farwell stands accused of strangling his pregnant mistress, Sandra Birchmore, and staging her death to resemble a suicide.
Prosecutors allege that Farwell groomed Birchmore since she was a teenager, maintaining a sexual relationship that continued into her adulthood. They contend he killed her on February 1, 2021, after she revealed her pregnancy and expressed her intent to keep the baby. Farwell, who has pleaded not guilty, allegedly believed he was the father based on text exchanges from late 2020 to early 2021.
Birchmore was between eight and 10 weeks pregnant and planned to announce her pregnancy publicly two weeks before Valentine's Day. Her death was initially ruled a suicide, but subsequent internal affairs and FBI investigations led to Farwell's arrest in August 2024.
Farwell, 40, has been jailed since his arrest. Jury selection for the trial took place earlier this week. Stoughton is a suburb located approximately 20 miles south of Boston.
