The prosecution and defense are presenting sharply different pictures of Sandra Birchmore as the trial of Matthew Farwell continues.
Prosecutors have presented testimony portraying Birchmore as excited about her pregnancy, while the defense has highlighted financial struggles and a past suicide attempt.
A forensic psychologist is expected to take the stand
in the trial of Matthew Farwell when court resumes today.
Prosecution and defense are painting very
different pictures of Sandra Birchmore.
Yes, the government says that Birchmore was excited to become a mother,
while the defense contends that she
was financially struggling and ready to end her life.
Boston 25 News reporter Ryan Breslin
is on scene at the federal courthouse
where jurors heard key testimony from a witness just yesterday.
Jurors have now heard from a dozen and a half witnesses in the trial,
and the prosecution has many more to call.
Tuesday, James Fitton, a former Stoughton
police dispatcher, took the stand,
the witness telling jurors about
the non-emergency call he took less than two weeks before Sandra
Birchmore died, which prosecutors allege
was the turning point for Matthew Farwell to kill her.
Fitton saying the caller wanted to speak to then-Detective Farwell,
alluding to a relationship with her friend Sandra Birchmore.
When he went to Farwell's office to tell him about the call,
Fitton says Farwell got, quote,
Visibly and audibly upset with me, his facial expression changed to me,
and he told me to never talk about this again
and never tell anyone about this.
Farwell texting Fitton later on, saying, quote,
Let's never discuss that again. That girl is blanking insane.
Well, both of them are.
Farwell's defense is that Birchmore took her own life after he went
to her apartment to end their relationship.
The prosecution bringing her OBGYN to the stand Tuesday,
who says Birchmore had zero suicidal ideation.
Our legal expert, Elise Hirschhorn,
reminds that the prosecution has the burden of proof in the trial.
You know, the ultimate question is, can a jury look past very
strong evidence of rape and of a very improper relationship,
but be able to draw the line at murder, be able to separate the two
and look at actually what happened that night?
And that is really what their job is going to be.
Not only will jurors hear from another doctor today,
they may also hear from someone
who was in the Stoughton Police Explorers program at the same
time as Sandra Birchmore.
That was the program where Birchmore met Matthew Farwell. It's also
the program that prosecutors allege Farwell
started grooming Birchmore in. On scene in
Boston, Ryan Breslin for your local station, Boston 25 News.
