Matthew Farwell trial begins in death of Sandra Birchmore. Here's what to know about the Massachusetts case.
The federal trial for former Stoughton, Massachusetts, police officer Matthew Farwell is set to get underway with jury selection on Tuesday as he is accused of killing Sandra Birchmore in 2021 and attempting to make her death look like a suicide.
Farwell is set to stand trial inside the Moakley Courthouse in Boston's Seaport District. He has been held at a Rhode Island detention center without bail while he awaits trial, despite a request in April to be released from the facility.
Farwell had filed a motion for a change of venue for the trial, but it was rejected last week.
He is charged with killing a witness for Birchmore's death. In October 2025, a superseding indictment also added a second count under the state's protection of unborn children law. Farwell has pleaded not guilty.
Federal prosecutors allege that Farwell strangled Birchmore inside her Canton apartment in February 2021.
Her death was originally ruled a suicide. In August 2024, Farwell was arrested on allegations that he killed the 23-year-old woman.
What is Matthew Farwell accused of?
According to prosecutors, Farwell allegedly began having sex with Birchmore when she was 15 and he was 27 years old. Farwell was a volunteer for a youth program called "Stoughton Police Explorers Academy" that Birchmore attended.
Farwell is accused of grooming and sexually exploiting Birchmore. Prosecutors said a friend of Birchmore's called the Stoughton Police Department in January 2021 to tell an employee that Farwell and Birchmore were having sex.
According to the prosecution, the employee told Farwell about the call, and several days later Birchmore was found dead. Farwell allegedly killed Birchmore the day before his wife was scheduled to give birth to their third child.
Farwell's defense argues that he went to Birchmore's apartment, but they had an argument and he told her he was not the father of the child and ended their relationship. The defense also argues that DNA tests later showed he was not the father of the baby.
The defense says that Birchmore died by suicide, as was originally determined by local investigators.
What sentence does Matthew Farwell face?
Farwell was eligible to stand trial with the possibility of facing the death penalty.
In December 2025, the Department of Justice announced that they would not seek capital punishment in the case.
Instead, if convicted, Farwell faces life in prison.
Will the Matthew Farwell trial be streamed?
Because the trial is taking place inside a federal courtroom, cameras are not allowed. As a result, the trial will not be streamed for the public.
Restrictions on electronic media inside courtrooms have been in place since 1946.
Reporters inside the courtroom are allowed to take notes and describe what is happening. Sketch artists regularly release drawn versions of what is happening inside the courtroom during trials.
