Massachusetts ex-police officer found guilty of killing woman he had relationship with as a minor

Former Massachusetts police officer found guilty of killing woman he had sexual relationship with as a minor Advertisement Updated: 3:10 PM EST Nov 10, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ John Atwater Reporter Veronica Haynes Senior Digital Editor/Producer, WCVB.com Ted Wayman Reporter Former Massachusetts police officer found guilty of killing woman he had sexual relationship with as a minor Updated: 3:10 PM EST Nov 10, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ John Atwater Reporter Veronica Haynes Senior Digital Editor/Producer, WCVB.com Ted Wayman Reporter Former Stoughton, Massachusetts, police officer Matthew Farwell was found guilty of killing Sandra Birchmore and her unborn child by a federal jury on Tuesday. Video above: Matthew Farwell found guilty in death of Sandra Birchmore: Legal analysis Advertisement Farwell was accused of killing Birchmore in 2021 and staging her death as a suicide to conceal a sexual relationship that began when she was a minor. Matthew Farwell trial daily recap: Former Stoughton officer accused in death of Sandra Birchmore After about 15 hours of deliberating, the jury on Tuesday found him guilty on charges of killing a witness or victim and protection of unborn children. Quiet sobbing and cries could be heard in the courtroom as the verdict was read. "Evil. Demonic. Predator ... that would be the word I'd use. Predator," Birchmore's cousin, Barbara Wright, said of Farwell outside the Moakley Federal Court House after the verdict. Farwell found guilty on all counts, but he almost wasn't prosecuted: Case timeline "It is the outcome Sandra, her unborn child, and her family have deserved for more than five years," Stoughton police acting Chief James O’Connor said in a statement. "What happened to Sandra is a profound betrayal of the trust every police officer is sworn to uphold." The verdict came after the jury of eight men and four women told the judge Monday afternoon that they were "in a deadlock that looks like it will not change any time soon." They resumed deliberations Tuesday morning. Farwell will be sentenced on Feb. 3. Video: Former Mass. AG explains what could happen next Prosecutors argued that Farwell killed Birchmore, who was pregnant, because he suspected she had revealed their sexual relationship, which began when she was underage. "We want to make sure that the public understand what happens to a child when they are groomed, and it is even more disgusting that the people she should have been able to turn to are the people that abused her," family spokesperson Melissa Berry said. Video below: Vigil held outside courthouse Friends and family of Birchmore attended the trial throughout its duration. Farwell is accused of killing the pregnant Birchmore on Feb. 1, 2021, three days before she was found by police in her Canton apartment. Birchmore's death was originally ruled a suicide, but federal prosecutors took over the case in 2024 and charged Farwell with murder. Her death certificate was updated this year to change the manner of death from "suicide" to "undetermined." Key testimony from Week 4 Dr. Max Noureddine, a DNA forensic expert for the defense, testified about how evidence can be contaminated at crime scenes and how multiple DNA samples can be present at the same location. Dr. Heather Garvin, a board-certified forensic anthropologist, focused on the structures of the neck, specifically the hyoid bone, a small U-shaped bone in the front of the neck. Garvin testified that peer-reviewed studies show the hyoid bone can break during hangings. However, she said studies do not show a conclusive link between hangings and fractures in the hyoid bone. Daniel Loper testified on Wednesday about his review of data taken from devices owned by Sandra Birchmore and Matthew Farwell. Those devices included iPhones, Apple Watches, and laptops. Dr. Thomas Andrew, a forensic pathologist, was also called to testify on Wednesday afternoon. He opined that Birchmore's apartment did not display signs of a struggle and said the injury to her hyoid bone likely occurred when her blood pressure was low or after her death. Key testimony from Week 3 Dr. Maria Capo-Martinez, a medical examiner, said she performed Birchmore's autopsy on Feb. 5, 2021, the day after her body was discovered in her Canton apartment. She initially ruled the cause of death as asphyxia by hanging and the manner of death as suicide. However, she told the jury that State Police did not provide her with any reason to believe the death was suspicious. Prosecution witness William Farwell, the fraternal twin brother of Matthew Farwell, testified under an immunity agreement with the federal government about his relationship with Sandra Birchmore. William Farwell said he began a sexual relationship with Birchmore in 2018, the year she turned 21, and stated that they had sex while he was on duty as a Stoughton police officer. He testified that Matthew Farwell told him about wiping his phone and destroying data that could connect him to Birchmore Hearst Owned Dr. William Smock testified about hair tangled on the strap found around Birchmore’s neck, saying it was "one of the biggest red flags of a homicidal event." He also claimed that evidence, including an imprint on her chest and a broken bone, indicated the crime scene was staged. Don Drake Digital forensics expert Jessica Hyde walked jurors through her analysis of Sandra Birchmore's iPhone. She testified the phone's last recorded button press and last recorded steps were at 9:40 p.m. on Feb. 1, just minutes before surveillance video shows a man identified as Matthew Farwell leaving Birchmore's apartment building at 9:43 p.m. Key testimony from Week 2 FBI Special Agent Heidi Kelsch testified over three days about evidence found on Birchmore’s cellphone and Apple Watch, including graphic sexual fantasy text chains between the two in the months and weeks leading up to her death. Of the 40,000 text messages exchanged between Birchmore and Farwell, Kelsch said Birchmore initiated 60% of the conversations, a figure that eventually grew to 70%. Farwell often blocked Birchmore on his cellphone. Don Drake Former Stoughton police dispatcher James Fitton testified about a call that came into the department a week and a half before Sandra Birchmore died. He said the female caller alluded to a relationship between her friend and Detective Matthew Farwell. Dr. Priyanka Venkataraman, who was Birchmore’s OB/GYN, testified about some of her medical records. Birchmore had been prescribed the antidepressant Zoloft, and during cross-examination, the doctor agreed that the drug can cause suicidal thoughts or actions. Jason Pickard testified in federal court about his relationship with Birchmore, whom he met in 2019 while working as a recruiter for the U.S. Army. He told the jury that he only learned last year that he was the father of her unborn child. Don Drake Jurors heard additional testimony from a forensic scientist at the state crime lab. She said Farwell's DNA was found on the strap prosecutors allege was used to kill Birchmore. She also testified that DNA testing revealed both Farwell's and Pickard's DNA on Birchmore's underwear. Three women also told the jury about affairs they had with Farwell. Prosecutors fought to include their testimony, while the defense argued that surveillance video showing him wearing a mask the night Birchmore died was intended to help conceal the affair from his wife. However, the women testified that Farwell did not wear masks or disguises during their encounters. Friend and former classmate Lindsey Crean testified that Birchmore had babysat for Farwell's children. She also said that Birchmore was “very, very happy” about her pregnancy but that Farwell had grown angry after Birchmore said he did not have to be on the birth certificate, did not have to attend the birth and only asked that he stop by on holidays. Diala Alkhalil, a licensed mental health cou