BOSTON (WHDH) - Testimony continued on Wednesday in the Matthew Farwell trial. Farwell is accused of killing 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore and her unborn child after grooming her for sex when she was 15-years-old and was part of the Stoughton Police Mentoring Program.
State Police Detective Matthew Dunne took the stand first on Wednesday. Dunne gave details about the initial investigation he was part of into Birchmore’s death. When asked if he deemed it suspicious, he said no.
When asked if he attended Birchmore’s autopsy, he responded, “No, there was no suspicion of foul play.”
Dunne testified that he and his supervisor questioned Farwell after learning of his relationship with her, wondering if he would admit to going to her apartment the night she died. The prosecutor asked, “What did the defendant say about the reason he went to Sandra’s apartment on February 1, 2021?”
Dunne replied, “The account he provided is that he went over there to break up with her.”
On Tuesday, jurors were shown security video from 2021 that prosecutors say capture Sandra Birchmore entering her apartment building alive for the last time. They also saw a necklace worn by Birchmore that investigators did not find on her, but was later found broken at the scene. Dunne testified that there were no signs of a struggle, and no suicide note.
Dunne testified that, during the investigation, he learned Farwell had put his hands on Birchmore’s neck before. He said, “At some point it was suggested there was choking that took place between the two of them.”
Video presented by the prosecution Tuesday also showed Farwell going in and out of the elevator in that building hours later, with a focus on his face covering, which a witness said was unusual for him to wear during the pandemic.
Prosecutors said Farwell was inside Birchmore’s apartment for just 28 minutes – during which time they allege he killed her and her unborn child.
COVID masking was common at that time, but the first witness in the case, Stoughton Police Department Detective Heather Cheever, testified she “never saw him with a mask on,” adding that Farwell said that he “didn’t care about COVID or wearing a mask.”
The trial is expected to last five weeks.
Farwell has pleaded not guilty and faces life in prison if convicted.
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