"Police Officer Accused of Sexually Abusing Pregnant Woman Faces Charges for Allegedly Killing Her and Staging Her Death as a Suicide"

 

A former Massachusetts police officer has been accused of killing a pregnant woman who had accused him of sexual abuse and staging her death as a suicide.

Sandra Birchmore, 23, was found dead in 2021. According to a previous report by PEOPLE, the Stoughton, Massachusetts police department alleged that three former officers had inappropriate relationships with Birchmore, starting when she was 15 years old.

-The U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts has now indicted one of those officers, 38-year-old Matthew Farwell, on a charge of killing a witness or victim. Farwell was arrested on Wednesday, August 28, according to the Justice Department.

It is currently unclear whether Farwell has entered a plea or secured legal representation.

Prosecutors claim that “Farwell killed Birchmore with the intent to prevent law enforcement from learning about Farwell’s commission or possible commission of federal offenses,” as stated in a press release.

Birchmore’s death was initially ruled a suicide, but a prominent pathologist disputes this finding.

Birchmore’s death was originally deemed a suicide, but federal investigators reopened the case, uncovering new evidence that led to the charges against Farwell. Prosecutors allege that Farwell began a relationship with Birchmore when she was 15, which continued into her adulthood. Birchmore reportedly became pregnant in December 2020 and claimed that Farwell was the father.

At the time the relationship allegedly began, Birchmore was a participant in Stoughton’s Explorers program, designed to give young people a chance to explore a career in law enforcement. Farwell, a former officer with the Stoughton Police Department, was an instructor in the program.

Federal authorities allege that Farwell killed Birchmore in Canton, Massachusetts, on February 1, 2021, nearly two weeks after a friend of Birchmore reported their relationship to the Stoughton Police Department.

If convicted, Farwell faces a mandatory sentence of death or life in prison.

Birchmore’s family hired Dr. Michael Baden, the former chief medical examiner of New York City, to review her cause of death. Dr. Baden wrote a letter in June disputing the initial suicide ruling, claiming instead that Birchmore had been strangled.

Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara released a statement in June regarding the case.

“Every good and decent police officer should be aware of and angry about the injustices inflicted upon Sandra Birchmore,” McNamara stated. “Sandra idolized police officers and what policing stood for in America, and she was victimized as a result.”

As of now, the other two former officers alleged to have had inappropriate relationships with Birchmore are not facing charges.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.