Matthew Farwell, charged in Sandra Birchmore's death, to remain in custody until trial
A judge has ordered former Stoughton, Massachusetts police officer Matthew Farwell to remain in jail until his trial as he is accused of killing Sandra Birchmore and staging her death to look like a suicide.
Farwell was seeking to be released on bail leading up to his federal trial, which is scheduled for October 5.
On Tuesday, magistrate judge M. Page denied Farwell's request.
"Farwell is facing a mandatory life sentence if convicted of killing Birchmore. As stated above, the evidence against him is strong, if not overwhelming," Page wrote in her ruling.
Prosecutors accuse Farwell of strangling Birchmore to death in February 2021 inside her Canton apartment. Originally, her death was ruled a suicide. In August 2024, Farwell was arrested and charged with killing Birchmore, who was pregnant at the time of her death.
Last fall, Farwell was indicted on a new charge of killing a witness or victim, added under the state's protection of unborn children law. That superseding indictment said Birchmore was between 8 and 10 weeks pregnant with a baby boy.
Birchmore was part of a youth program called the "Stoughton Police Explorers Academy." Farwell was a volunteer, and is accused of having sex with Birchmore when she was 15 and he was 27 years old.
Farwell has pleaded not guilty in the case. His defense attorney argued during an April bail hearing that he has been a "stellar inmate" and is not a danger to the community or flight risk. Page disagreed with that assessment with her ruling on Tuesday.
Page ruled that while he remains detained, Farwell be kept in a corrections facility separate from inmates awaiting or serving sentences or being held in custody pending appeal. Farwell must also be afforded a reasonable opportunity for private consultation with his legal team, and be made available for any appearance in court.
Farwell's defense argues that he did go to Birchmore's apartment, but they had an argument, he told her he was not the father of the child, and he ended their relationship. They contend Birchmore died by suicide after.
