Matthew Farwell, 39, once presented himself as an upstanding police officer from Stoughton, Massachusetts. But now he’s a disgraced and decertified inmate awaiting arraignment for the death of Sandra Birchmore and her unborn child — the latter of which carries a mandatory life sentence.
According to The Enterprise, Farwell was already facing first-degree murder charges, which themselves carry a potential life sentence. The former cop initially sought to prevent Birchmore from making it public knowledge that he had been grooming her ever since she was a minor. The Stoughton Police Department has since made it abundantly clear where they stand on Farwell, distancing themselves as much as possible from him and his actions — especially given the negative reputation such crimes from police officers attract in the first place.
On Feb. 4, 2021, Birchmore was found seated on her floor with a luggage strap tied around her neck on one end and the other end fastened to a nearby doorknob. At first, the responding officer assumed it was a suicide. Birchmore was supposed to be at work that day as a teaching assistant, and although she hadn’t shown any signs of distress to her friends, that isn’t always a reason to dismiss foul play. After all, Jeffrey Epstein didn’t show signs either.
However, the police are never to be underestimated. Time may pass, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re done with a case. Soon, investigators discovered that Birchmore had met Farwell through a mentorship program in 2012 when she was just 14, from which point the two entered into an illegal relationship with an unsustainable power dynamic.
Then came the text messages. Prosecutors revealed that, at some point in 2021, Birchmore told Farwell she was pregnant and that she was keeping the baby. Furthermore, she said she would sign his name on their child’s birth certificate. She had decided to announce to her friends that she was expecting on Valentine’s Day, 2021 — something that apparently made Farwell so angry that he texted her, calling her “the worst person on the face of the earth.”
That’s when Farwell devised his plan. On the fateful Feb. 4 — which would become Birchmore’s final day — Farwell texted her at 9:08 p.m. asking if he could visit. It could have been mistaken by Birchmore for an attempt to reconcile or at least find a solution to their issues. Prosecutors believe that by 9:43 p.m., Birchmore was dead.
In August 2024, Farwell was finally indicted for his alleged crime against Birchmore, and now a new indictment also accuses him of causing the death of the unborn child. Farwell’s case is still scheduled to commence on Oct. 5, 2026, though this new charge might alter that timeline.
Farwell is technically still not declared guilty by the system, but he is exactly the kind of person for whom the concept of prison was invented. He is someone who used his power, influence, and understanding of law enforcement procedure to groom a child and murder her when she no longer suited him — and worst of all, he almost got away with it.
