Ex-cop's Mass. trial in death of Sandra Birchmore continues with testimony from victim's friend

The federal trial of former Stoughton, Massachusetts, police officer Matthew Farwell continues for a third day Thursday in South Boston. A friend of Sandra Birchmore's death is now on the stand as the second witness of the day.

Farwell is accused of killing the 23-year-old Birchmore and her unborn baby in her Canton apartment in February 2021. Initially, her death was ruled a suicide, but in 2024 Farwell was charged with a federal count of killing a witness or victim. In 2025, he was also charged with causing the death of an unborn child.

The former Stoughton police officer faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Sandra Birchmore's friend takes stand

Lesley Davis, who was friends with Birchmore, took the stand Thursday morning.

Davis is 30 years old and met Birchmore in middle school at a gym in Stoughton.

Prosecutor Torey Cummings asked if at some point Birchmore told her about Farwell. Davis said Birchmore told her about Farwell "almost immediately" when she was 15 years old.

"She said that he was someone who would always help her with her homework and he paid a lot of attention to her, like he would always text her and wonder where she is," Davis said.

Cummings asked Davis if she would talk about sexual relationships with Birchmore.

"When I would talk about mine, she would talk about hers with Matthew Farwell," Davis said. "She would have sex with him in his police vehicle as well as his personal truck."

Davis said that as she got older, Birchmore talked about wanting to be a mom "almost every time I talked to her."

Birchmore told her in 2020 that she was pregnant and asked Davis to be the godmother.

"She was so happy, maybe the happiest time in her life, she was very excited for the baby," she said.

Davis said there was one time when Farwell pushed Birchmore to the ground, and she kicked him out of her apartment.

The night of Birchmore's death, Davis and Birchmore spoke on the phone for about 25 minutes just before 8:30 p.m. The prosecutor asked Davis if she would remember the call if Birchmore had said she wanted to kill herself.

"I would have 100% remembered, yes," Davis said. 

Stoughton police officer testifies

Stoughton Police Sgt. Robert Kuhn was on the stand when court ended for the day on Wednesday. He completed his testimony earlier Thursday morning. Kuhn testified that he was friends with Farwell outside of work. He also met Birchmore when she was in the youth explorers program, and knew her from his job as the resource officer at Stoughton High School.  

Kuhn said he attended a homicide conference that was put on by Massachusetts State Police in October 2019, and Farwell attended as well.

After, he continued spending time with Farwell at work and sometimes sociall.

The prosecutor asked Kuhn what behavior he noticed from Farwell in 2021. Kuhn said he was taking a lot of phone calls, was stressed and was drinking more. Kuhn described Farwell as taking "more frequent phone calls than usual."

During the trial, prosecutors have shown surveillance video from the lobby of Birchmore's apartment building on the day of her death. Farwell can be seen wearing a hood and medical mask and leaving about a half-hour later.

Kuhn was asked if Farwell said anything about mask requirements during the COVID pandemic.

"He despised them," Kuhn said. "For him to be wearing a mask was very odd to me, yes," he added. Kuhn later said he never saw Farwell wearing a mask when he was off duty. 

On cross-examination, the defense tried to show that Farwell regularly wore jeans, boots and hooded sweatshirts similar to what he was wearing in the video.

Farwell's attorney attempted to ask Kuhn several times if Farwell received his COVID vaccine, but the prosecution objected each time and the judge sustained those objections. 

On re-direct questioning, Kuhn was asked when he friendship with Farwell ended.

"I would say the minute the allegation as made," he said. 

Kuhn completed his testimony around 10 a.m.

Testimony in Matthew Farwell trial

On Wednesday, testimony focused on the police investigation that prosecutors say was insufficient.

Massachusetts State Police Trooper Matthew Dunne completed a second day of testimony after about five hours on the witness stand. Dunne initially investigated Birchmore's death and ruled it a suicide.

Dunne testified that there was no suicide note found in Birchmore's apartment.

He also said he did not record or take notes when interviewing Birchmore's coworkers at the school where she worked. Dunne also said he did not record or take notes during either of the two times he interviewed Farwell.

On cross-examination, Farwell's attorney highlighted that Dunne did not see any signs of a struggle in Birchmore's apartment.

Investigators have said Farwell started sexually abusing Birchmore when she was 15 and he was 27 years old. Prosecutors said Birchmore learned she was pregnant in December 2020 and told Farwell he was the father. The defense said DNA testing confirmed Farwell was not the father.