Matthew Farwell Massachusetts murder trial to begin with opening statements in Sandra Birchmore case

Opening statements are expected in federal court today in the murder trial of Matthew Farwell. The ex-Stoughton, Massachusetts, police officer is accused of killing former teen cadet Sandra Birchmore and her unborn baby, and staging her death to make it look like a suicide.

Prosecutors say Farwell met Birchmore when she was a 13-year-old in the Stoughton Police Department Explorers Academy and groomed her for years. He allegedly began a sexual relationship with Birchmore when she was 15 and he was 27.

Birchmore was found dead in her Canton apartment in 2021 and her death was originally ruled a suicide. She was 23 years old at the time and pregnant with what she believed was Farwell's child, investigators say.

Prosecutors say Farwell killed Birchmore to conceal their romantic relationship after a friend reported it to police, but his defense will argue that she died by suicide after Farwell told her that the baby wasn't his and that the relationship was over.

Farwell is charged with one federal count of killing a witness or victim, and faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison if convicted. He also faces an additional charge of causing the death of an unborn child. He has pleaded not guilty to both charges.

"The prosecution needs to establish here that Matthew Farwell did in fact kill Sandra Birchmore, that he did it intentionally, he knew that he was trying to cover something up, that she was a witness to this illicit relationship that they had," WBZ legal analyst Jennifer Roman said.

The trial is taking place at the Moakley Courthouse in Boston. Because it is a federal case, no cameras are allowed inside court and the trial won't be livestreamed. 

Judge Denise Casper is aiming to seat 16 jurors for what's expected to be a five-week trial. On Friday morning, each side will have a chance to dismiss certain jurors before opening statements get underway.