Six Things You Need to Know About the Sandra Birchmore Case

Stoughton Police Officer Matthew Farwell has been charged in the death of Sandra Birchmore, after the death was first ruled a suicide by medical examiners. Here are some facts that will bring you up to date on the case:

1. Sandra Birchmore was just 12 years old when she joined the Stoughton Police Explorers program back in 2010. Matthew Farwell was hired by the Stoughton Police Department in 2012 and began working as a volunteer for the Explorers soon after, where he first met Birchmore. Charging documents in the case state that Farwell and Birchmore were communicating online after Farwell and Birchmore met.

2. It is alleged that Birchmore and Farwell began a sexual relationship when Birchmore was just 15 years old. Farwell would have been 26 years old at the time. Text messages between the two reference Birchmore losing her virginity to Farwell in 2012 and the two continued a sexual relationship until her death in 2021.

3. In December of 2020, Birchmore became pregnant by Farwell and told him so via text message. Farwell’s wife was also pregnant at the time. The following month, a friend of Birchmore’s called the Stoughton Police Department and reported the relationship between the two.

4. On Febuary 1st, video surveillance from Birchmore’s apartment building show what appears to be Farwell entering the building and leaving shortly after. Court documents allege that Farwell strangled Birchmore during this visit. It is the last time Birchmore is seen again. Three days later, a wellness check was done at the apartment where officers found Birchmore deceased.

5. The following year, in April of 2022, Farwell resigned from the Stoughton Police Department but just five months later, it’s revealed that an internal investigation was conducted by the department. Just after Christmas, the family of Birchmore filed a civil lawsuit for wrongful death, amongst other things.

6. Two years later, Federal investigators finally charge Farwell with the murder of Birchmore and claim that Farwell strangled her and staged the murder to look like a suicide. Farwell has pled not guilty and is being held after his attorney filed a motion for voluntary order of detention. His next scheduled court hearing is slated for October 17.