BOSTON (WHDH) - Former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell appeared in court Tuesday for the first time since he was arrested in 2024, asking a judge to move his murder trial out of state.
Farwell is accused of strangling and killing 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore, who was pregnant at the time, in her Canton apartment in 2021. Federal prosecutors said he then staged her death to make it look like she committed suicide. Farwell also faces charges in the death of the unborn baby.
Authorities said Farwell began a sexual relationship with Birchmore when she was 15-years-old and a student in his class for young people interested in law enforcement careers.
Barbara Wright, Birchmore’s cousin, was present at the hearing in South Boston.
“It was numbing for me. I just, I was very close to Sandra,” said Wright. “The community is outraged by what has happened, what a law enforcement officer was allowed to do to, and what he tried to do, to a young person.”
Farwell’s attorney told the judge that news reports about her client’s case have been biased; she argues the publicity prevents Farwell from getting a fair trial in Massachusetts. She suggested the case be moved to Rhode Island.
“Yeah there’s been publicity, but Providence is just 20 minutes away. It’s a train stop away for all intents and purposes,” said Peter Murphy, a supporter of Birchmore. “What’s not gonna get conveyed in the next nine months to Providence?”
Federal prosecutors also oppose the request. They brought up Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the man convicted of planting bombs at the Boston Marathon finish line in 2013, and how he received intense media coverage yet his case was not moved. A thorough screening for jurors was put into place in that case.
“They used the Boston marathon bomber — that case was so much bigger than this,” said Melissa Berry, a supporter of Birchmore. “For them to say he won’t get a fair trial here. I don’t agree with that.”
Wright said she hopes her cousin’s memory and legacy does not get lost in all the procedural challenges.
“On February 1 it will be five years since she died,” Wright said. “It’s been a long time coming. We’ve been waiting for justice for a long time.”
The judge said she would issue a ruling at a later date. The trial is set to begin in October.
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