BOSTON (WHDH) - Jury selection continued inside the Moakley Courthouse in Boston Thursday in the trial of former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell, who is accused of killing 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore.
Farwell is accused of killing Birchmore and her unborn child at her Canton apartment in 2021. The Massachusetts Medical Examiner initially ruled her death as a suicide, but in announcing their indictment in 2024, federal prosecutors said “Farwell…killed Sandra Birchmore by strangulation…” adding, “…Farwell staged her body and apartment to make it appear as if Birchmore had committed suicide…”
Investigators said Farwell groomed Birchmore for sex, starting when she was 15-years-old and was part of the Stoughton police mentoring program. The United States Attorney’s Office says Farwell murdered Birchmore and her unborn child to keep her from talking about his exploitation of her while he was on duty.
Farwell has pleaded not guilty, and his defense team maintains Birchmore did take her own life.
More than 400 potential jurors answered a lengthy questionnaire that asked about mental health, domestic violence, and suicide. 7NEWS Legal Analyst Evan Gotlob said this process is going more in depth than most federal trials.
“They’re doing it more like a death penalty case where they ask jurors individual questions, and have a detailed questionnaire. Usually, the questionnaire is very general,” Gotlob said. “This one seems a lot more intense because of the the attention that this case has gotten in the region.”
After the judge, defense, and prosecution agree on elimnating many potential jurors, each side will be allowed several peremptory challenges – which allow them the ability to eliminate a potential juror without needing a reason. Gotlob said the prosecution gets six peremptory challenges, and the defense gets 10.
“Sometimes prosecutors and defense attorneys challenge people that they don’t like the way they look at them,” Gotlob said. “Sometimes they base it on race. Sometimes they base it on gender. Sometimes they base it on occupation, past experiences with law enforcement, relation to law enforcement. Every sort of thing that goes into picking a jury during voir dire and jury selection comes into peremptory challenge, but usually you’re looking for people that you really don’t think will be on your side in the case.”
Since the trial is being held in federal court, there will be no cameras in the courtroom. Gotlob said that tends to move proceedings along.
“Certain people, whether it’s prosecutors, defense attorneys, officers, judges, sometimes play for the cameras,” he said. “That won’t be the case here. They’re going to do their job exactly how how they view it should be done. So I think it leads to a more efficient trial.”
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