For the first time in the Matthew Farwell trial, a witness has implicated the ex-cop in the murder of Sandra Birchmore, saying she suggested that Canton PD investigate the accused killer.
Lesley Davis, a 30-year-old accountant who described herself as having been “pretty much best friends” with Birchmore, said she learned of the death after her brother saw a Facebook post about the tragedy.
“I was in disbelief,” Davis said, “and I thought that someone had to have been involved, like Matthew Farwell.”
The revelation sprang Davis into action: She testified Thursday that she went to the Canton Police Department with her brother and mother to alert authorities to what she believed may have happened to her close friend since middle school.
“I implicated Matthew Farwell,” Davis testified, dropping the bombshell during an explosive third day in the federal murder trial of the former Stoughton police officer.
The testimony prompted a reminder from Chief U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper to the jury.
“Jurors, I am going to remind you that the ultimate manner of cause and death is for you to decide,” Casper said. “That’s why I am limiting some questions to this witness. What one witness believes is not determinative.”
Davis made her comments as Farwell’s defense attorney attempted to object.
Prosecutors argue that Farwell groomed Birchmore from the time she was a child, had sex with her while she was underage, and then killed her and her unborn child and staged her Canton apartment to make the death appear a suicide.
Davis said that the reason she went to the Canton PD stemmed from knowing that Farwell got into a fight with Birchmore over a birth certificate, pushing the young woman to the ground and arguing that he was not the father.
When asked why she wanted Canton PD to know about the argument, Davis responded so police “wouldn’t miss anything.” She added that she talked with two men who did not take notes during the conversation.
Farwell’s defense counters that Birchmore killed herself in her Canton apartment the night of Feb. 1, 2021, shortly after Farwell broke up with and told the 23-year-old Birchmore that he was not the father of her unborn son.
The defense’s argument, Davis testified, doesn’t add up. She said she spoke with Birchmore that night, during a 25-minute phone call that ended shortly before Farwell arrived at the apartment.
“I 100% would have remembered” if Birchmore was showing any signs of considering suicide, Davis said. “I would have tried to do something,” the friend added.
When the two became friends, Davis said she became “immediately” aware of Farwell. Birchmore would tell her that the cop would help her with homework, message her on Facebook and have “rough sex” that involved “choking” in his police cruiser and personal truck.
Davis testified that she knew that Farwell was over 10 years older than Birchmore, and that the cop was married and had kids with his wife.
Birchmore was “very enamored” with Farwell and wanted to have a child with him, Davis said, which concerned her because of the age gap. Davis added that she was aware Birchmore and Farwell met through the Stoughton Police Explorers program.
“I thought there would have been a better choice for her,” Davis said of Birchmore’s relationship with Farwell. Davis didn’t inform anyone of her concerns because she said she “didn’t want to ruin” the friendship.
The two remained friends after high school graduation and enjoyed a steak tip dinner at a local restaurant days before Feb. 1, 2021. After the meal, Davis bought a stroller for Birchmore’s baby at a Walmart.
The Stoughton Police Department did not investigate Birchmore’s death because it happened in Canton, outside of the local jurisdiction, Police Chief Donna McNamara testified Thursday.
Instead, just weeks after Birchmore’s death, Stoughton PD opened an internal affairs investigation into potential misconduct involving Farwell. The department then shared the results with the FBI and state POST Commission, McNamara said.
The report concluded that Farwell, his twin brother William Farwell and former Deputy Chief Robert Devine engaged in “inappropriate relationships” with Birchmore. Matthew Farwell resigned from Stoughton PD in April 2021, and the Police Explorers program disbanded in September 2022.
McNamara, on paid administrative leave amid an investigation into an employment dispute between her and Town Manager Thomas Calter, testified that officers are not permitted to have sex while on duty – a part of the government’s argument.
“You need to be ready to answer calls,” the chief said.
Brian Holmes, Stoughton’s deputy chief of police at the time, testified late Thursday that he wished he knew about Birchmore and Farwell’s relationship before Birchmore’s death.
If he did, Holmes said he would have spoken with McNamara and possibly pursued an investigation into Farwell at that point.
Holmes led the internal affairs investigation into Farwell and added that the report was also shared with FBI Lakeville, TSA in Baltimore and the Army. He testified of finding concerning evidence that Farwell may have been committing crimes elsewhere in the country.
Holmes is set to return to the stand on Friday.
Thursday’s testimony began with Stoughton Police Sgt. Robert Kuhn describing how his working relationship with Farwell deteriorated over time. Their friendship ended the minute that Kuhn said he learned of the murder allegations.
Kuhn admitted to the defense that before he took the stand, he told one of the government’s prosecutors, “I can’t wait to crush this [expletive].”
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