STOUGHTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Former Stoughton Police Officer Matthew Farwell’s latest request to move his murder trial out of Massachusetts has been rejected.
Farwell is accused of killing 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore; his lawyers said he would not get a fair trial in Massachusetts because of media coverage of the case.
Prosecutors said Farwell groomed Birchmore for sex when she was 15 years old and part of the Stoughton Police Department’s mentorship program.
In 2021, Birchmore was found dead at her Canton apartment.
Farwell pleaded not guilty to the federal charges. His trial starts next week.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)