Indictment: Former Stoughton police officer murdered Sandra Birchmore, staged suicide

Christopher Boardman,
(WLNE)

BOSTON, Mass. (WLNE) — FBI Boston’s SWAT team has arrested a former Stoughton police officer in the homicide of Sandra Birchmore.

Matthew Farwell was taken into custody without incident and is charged with one count of killing a victim/witness.

Farwell is accused of murdering Birchmore by strangulation in 2021 and staging her Canton apartment to make the death look like suicide.

The indictment against Farwell states that he and Birchmore were engaged in a sexual relationship before Birchmore was 16-years-old.

Farwell first came into contact with Birchmore in 2010 due to her participation in the Stoughton Police Department Police Explorers program, for which Farwell was a volunteer.

Birchmore was 12-years-old at this time.

Their alleged relationship went on for several years, and according to the document, Birchmore informed Farwell in or around December of 2020 that she was pregnant with his child.

Birchmore’s friend also called the Stoughton Police Department around January 20, 2021 to inform them that Farwell had a sexual relationship with Birchmore, and a Stoughton PD employee later told Farwell about this call.

Farwell then allegedly murdered Birchmore by strangulation on or about February 1, 2021 and then staged her Canton apartment to make her death appear to be a suicide.

This is a developing story, stay with ABC6 for further developments.

Categories: Massachusetts, News

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