STOUGHTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell is set to go on trial.
Farwell is accused of killing Sandra Birchmore, a young woman he allegedly began grooming for sex when she was a teenager.
Jury selection in what is expected to be a lengthy trial kicks off Tuesday.
During the trial, dozens of possible witnesses are set to be called, and hundreds of exhibits are expected, including text messages, photos of the scene, autopsy photos, and surveillance video.
Prosecutors claim Farwell killed Birchmore, 23, and her unborn child in 2021 to cover up their sexual relationship.
They said Farwell groomed Birchmore for sex when she was just 15 years old and part of the Stoughton Police Department’s mentoring program.
Birchmore’s death was originally ruled a suicide; federal prosecutors said Farwell staged her death to look like she took her own life.
Farwell was arrested by the FBI in August 2024 and indicted on murder charges.
He is being held without bail in a Rhode Island detention center.
Farwell pleaded not guilty and his attorneys maintain that Birchmore’s death was a suicide.
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