BOSTON (WHDH) - A former Stoughton police officer who was previously indicted for murdering 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore, who was pregnant, in 2021, has also been charged with causing the death of her unborn child, according to the Justice Department.
Matthew Farwell, 39, of Easton, is charged with one count of causing the death of Birchmore’s unborn child. Farwell was arrested and charged in August 2024. He remains in federal custody and will be arraigned at a later date.
Farwell, who is no longer a police officer, is accused of murdering Birchmore in Canton. According to the federal indictment, prosecutors allege he strangled her in her apartment and made it look like a suicide.
Prosecutors said Farwell began a sexual relationship with Birchmore when she was 15 and in the police department’s youth mentor program, where he was an instructor.
Prosecutors said Birchmore told Farwell she was pregnant with his child, and about one month later, her killed her. Her death was initially declared a suicide before the intervention of federal prosecutors.
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