REPLAY: Former Massachusetts Police Officer Found Guilty of Murdering Sandra Birchmore and Her Unborn Child

And her unborn son, both of whom died at the hands of Matthew Farwell. The evidence presented at trial was both shocking and clear. Matthew Farwell was supposed to be a trusted figure in Sandra's life. He was a police officer working as an instructor for the Stoughton Police Department's Explorer Program, a program designed to mentor young kids and introduce them to the world of policing. However, instead of mentoring, Farwell used his position of power to prey on Sandra, a vulnerable child who was only 12 years old when she entered the Explorer program. Farwell wasted no time beginning to groom Sandra and lure her into his depraved world. Sandra was only 15 years old when he took her virginity. Farwell was 27 years old at that time. That is statutory rape. Farwell's sexual relationship with Sandra continued for nearly a decade until he ultimately killed her and her unborn baby to conceal his exploitation of her. The evidence introduced at trial exposed the real Farwell, the former police officer who exploited and abused a teenager Sandra in a way that should be unimaginable. He manipulated her, He took advantage of her vulnerabilities to satisfy his illicit criminal desires. As a sworn police officer Farwell knew there would be serious professional and personal consequences if anyone found out about his relationship with Sandra. He therefore directed Sandra to keep their relationship secret and for years she did just that. But as Sandra grew up she began to recognize what Farwell had done to her and she understood that she was a witness to And victim of crimes he had committed. In December of 2020, Sandra Birchmore, then 23 years old, learned she was pregnant. Sandra was overjoyed. Her pregnancy was an opportunity to experience the unconditional love of motherhood, something she had long yearned for. As she prepared for motherhood, Sandra began to demand more of Farrell's attention and commitment. She wanted him to share in her excitement. They posed serious problems for the married father of two, who also had a pregnant wife at home. As the walls were closing in, it became clear to Farwell that he had lost control of Sandra. 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. Farwell recognized that he could no longer rely on Sandra remaining silent about his crimes. Farwell grew alarmed with the prospect of Sandra outing his crimes. He feared she would tell others that he had sex with her when she was underage. He feared that people would learn that while he was on duty as a police officer, he was not protecting the public, but rather he was meeting Sandra for sex. His fears proved to be accurate. Sandra had, in fact, begun sharing with friends details about her relationship with Farwell. When he found out, he expressed his outrage. Farwell was boxed into a corner. He needed to silence Sandra in order to prevent his crimes from coming to light. He silenced Sandra by murdering her, strangling her in her apartment, killing her and her unborn son, staging it to look like a suicide by hanging. And less than 12 hours later, he drove to the hospital to be present with his wife for the birth of their third child. This is absolutely diabolical behavior. Sandra's death was initially ruled a suicide, and Farwell went on with his life, believing he, quite literally, had gotten away with murder. The cover-up of his crimes went on for more than three years, until he was arrested by federal authorities. As detailed at trial, this federal investigation began in October of 2023, after two police officers and a courageous member of the public came forward to the FBI with relevant information. Farwell was arrested and charged approximately 10 months later and today he faces life in prison. Justice has indeed been served. It is my sincere hope that moving forward, Sandra Birchmore's legacy is not defined by the tragedies that led to this case, but rather by the memories of a young woman who had a bright future. A young woman who was excited about her impending motherhood and was excited about the prospect of becoming a nurse. She overcame adversity and challenges, losing her mother and grandmother at a young age, the two women who had guided and protected her. Losing them had a significant impact on her life. But as she got older, she began to find her footing. She had a network of strong friendships, a good job, her own apartment, and a son on the way. By all accounts, she was a caring and loving person. Sandra did not deserve this. When you think of her, I hope you recall the girl full of love, life, and hope, and that is what Sandra deserves. Lastly, I want to commend the prosecutors and investigators involved in this case. These investigations can take an emotional toll, but their professionalism and dogged pursuit of justice was nothing short of extraordinary. Now I'd like to turn things over to the FBI. Thank you, Leah, and good afternoon. My name is Ted Dox. I'm the special agent in charge of FBI Boston. Today's verdict affirms that Matthew Farwell is responsible for killing Sandra Birchmore and her unborn child in a calculated effort to silence her. It also prevents this former cop from getting away with murder, from harming anyone else. Nothing can erase the grief that Sandra's loved ones have endured. But this verdict does hold Matthew Farwell responsible for the killing of this young woman and her baby. This case highlights the fundamental responsibility of our justice system. When the evidence demands a second look, we must have the courage to pursue it. Justice requires persistence, not deference, not convenience, and certainly not the protection of those who wear the badge and misuse their authority. Institutions entrusted with protecting the public must be held to the highest standards of integrity and accountability because every life matters and no badge, no title, and no position places anyone above the law. The law must protect the vulnerable. It must also hold those who wield power to the strictest standards. When someone Someone abuses that power. Accountability cannot hinge on their reputation or influence. So let there be no doubt. If you threaten victims and attempt to silence witnesses through violence, justice will find you. Today is not a day for celebration. Our hearts are with the Birchmore family, with all who knew and loved Sandra. Sandra deserved a future. She deserved to be heard. And today, after years of pain, grief, and uncertainty, the justice system has finally spoken on her behalf. May Sandra be remembered, not for the tragic way in which her life ended, but for the life she lived, for the people who loved her. I want to thank the jury for their service, the Birchmore family for their cooperation, patience, and fortitude, and the FBI agents, analysts, and forensic accountants, and prosecutors, whose hard work and dedication made today possible. I want to turn it over to a member of the family, Ray Cosgrove. My name is Ray Cosgrove, and Sandra Birchmore was my first cousin. Today I'm speaking not only for myself, on behalf of Darlene Smith and her sister, my mother, Susan Orso. I want to speak about Sandra today, not as a name in the headline, not as a subject of court proceedings, and not as a case number. She was our family. She was a young woman with a life ahead of her, people who loved her, and hopes for everything that was still to come. For our family, the loss of Sandra cannot be measured simply by the passage of time. There are birthdays, holidays, family gatherings, and ordinary moments where their absence is still felt. There are conversations we will never get to have with her and memories we never have the opportunity to make. And our family grieves another future we will never get to experience. Sandra was expecting a baby boy. We will never have the opportunity to meet him. We will never watch him grow up, celebrate his birthdays, or see this person he might have become. We lost that future too. This is a loss our family carries alongside the loss of Sandra. Sandra deserves to be remembered for who she was rather than solely for what happened to her. She was only 23 years old. She had so much life that should have still been ahead of her. As a family, it has been difficult to see much of Sandra's identity become connected to the circumstances of her death. Our family knew the person, the public knew the case. Today I want people to remember the person. Sandra mattered before anyone outside her family knew her name. Her life had value before there was news cameras, courtrooms, investigations, or headlines. And her life still continues to matter today. Our family is grateful to every person who treated Sandra's life with dignity, who has searched for answers, who has refused to forget her, who has stood beside our family throughout this long and painful journey. Nothing that happens in the courtroom can return Sandra. Or her baby boy to our family. Truth matters. Accountability matters. And the trust we place in people in positions of authority carries an enormous responsibility. My hope is that Sandra's story ultimately becomes more than the circumstances of her death. I hope her story reminds us how important it is to respect the trust. Protect those who place it in others. And never lose sight of the person at the heart of all of this. Most of all, I hope people remember Sandra Birchmore as a daughter, a niece, a cousin, a friend, a young woman preparing to become a mother and someone whose life mattered. Sandra cannot stand here and speak for herself. So for those of us who loved her and continue to speak her name, we will continue to remember her. We will continue to honor her, and we will remember the little boy our family never had the chance to meet. Thank you, family of Sandra Birchmore. Mr. Green will those who did not have the courage to pursue this early on investigation, so they will face consequences We brought all federal charges that we had evidence to bring. What happens in other offices is up to them. Has your office been in contact with the incoming North Carolina DA about any other potential investigation The cover-up I was referring to was Matthew Barwell's staging the body to look like it was a suicide. And to the extent that there were errors in a previous state investigation, that is just not for me to comment on today. Those are the immunity offers that were given. We are going to continue to investigate The potential lack of investigation that was done by the North Carolina DA Again, all federal charges that were brought were based on the evidence that we knew. Leah, what do you say to people who've lost a lot of faith in our law enforcement? This case and another adjacent case. and they have a lot of questions about what happened Not everyone made mistakes. There were some investigators early on who we will take issue with, as was obvious from the trial. But there were other officers who did come forward and cooperated. The chief, Brian Holmes, who's now the chief of Kingston, he was pivotal to the start of this federal investigation. He probably said it came to us in October of 23. Did things early on that you take exception with. I am sure that the colonel of the Massachusetts State Police is going to take all corrective actions that he believes is warranted and necessary. I have all the confidence in the colonel. And after... When investigations are completed and prosecutions are completed, it's not uncommon to go back and see what was done right, what was done wrong, what could be done better, and I have all the faith that the colonel will do that. There we go. I'm not aware of any. There are often times where something, a crime, can be charged in both the state and the federal system. We brought it in the federal system because we believed he needed to be held accountable for his crime. I can't speak to what the state did or did not do or why they chose not to do it. I will leave that to the incoming district attorney in Norfolk County and the current chief of the department to decide. I think most of you know that my office has never shied away from holding people accountable who commit wire fraud, including people who wear the badge. Couldn't tell you one way or another, he was not on our witness list and we didn't need him for our case. Why the defense chose not to call them is not a question that I'm privy to. I think that the judge's interpretation of that message was accurate. It was just a wrong word. They just needed more time to deliberate because at the time they weren't prepared to return a verdict yesterday. I know your office chose not to. Whether we seek the death penalty or not is internal deliberations that we never discuss with the public. Do people have faith in the criminal justice system considering how this played out on the state level? Not everyone has. If there are, and the evidence is brought to us, we will investigate it and bring federal charges if necessary. But I do believe that justice was served today in this courthouse, thanks to these fantastic prosecutors and the FBI and other dedicated law enforcement officers who participated in it. This trial was about this investigation, and the charges that we brought were the ones that we had evidence to charge and prove beyond a reasonable doubt. There was one piece of evidence that we thought would begin this with the medical examiner saying the piece of evidence that we all looked at and said, no, there's a lot more here. Just as when juries look at the evidence, you view it in the totality, it can be misleading when you just pick out one piece of evidence in isolation and focus on that. It's when you put all of the evidence together that it puts all the pieces of the puzzle together. And that is, so I believe that some probably were more important, but together they proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Matthew Farwell killed Sandra Burchwor and her son.