Testimony in the trial of Matthew Farwell, the cop accused of killing Sandra Birchmore, gets underway on Oct. 13 with his brother as a potential witness
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Credit: Sandra Birchmore Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- Matthew Farwell is accused of raping Sandra Birchmore when she was 15 and he was 27 after meeting her in his role as an instructor in the Stoughton Police Explorer’s Program
- The two allegedly had a sexual relationship for years once Birchmore reached the age of consent, but that ended when prosecutors say Matthew killed her in 2021 because she told him she was pregnant with his child
- Testimony begins on Oct. 13 in Matthew’s trial, and his twin brother William — who also had a sexual relationship with Birchmore — is listed as a witness for the prosecution along with Matthew’s wife Angela
Sandra Birchmore dreamed of being a police officer, and at the age of 13 she enrolled in the Stoughton Police Explorer’s Program.
There she met Matthew Farwell, an officer with the Stoughton Police Department who, after grooming Birchmore for a few years, began raping her when she was just 15, according to a copy of an affidavit for detention obtained by PEOPLE.
Matthew is now charged with killing Birchmore and testimony in his trial will begin on Oct. 13 when prosecutors begin calling witnesses to the stand.
Among the names on that witness list is Matthew’s twin brother William Farwell — who previously admitted to having a sexual relationship with Birchmore.
Credit: Stoughton Police Department/AP
Matthew “used his authority and access to groom, sexually exploit, and ultimately sexually abuse then-15-year-old Birchmore” then “continued this sexual abuse after Birchmore became an adult,” according to the affidavit.
This behavior lasted until prosecutors say Matthew ended his relationship with Birchmore on Feb. 1, 2021.
That is the day he arrived at Birchmore’s home in a mask, strangled his pregnant mistress and then staged the scene to look like a suicide, prosecutors say.
His plan was successful at first, with law enforcement and the medical examiner determining that there were no signs of foul play.
Then, in September 2024, federal officials declared Birchmore’s death to be a homicide and arrested Matthew.
Matthew began raping Birchmore just one month before his wedding, prosecutors have said, and is accused of killing her just hours before his wife gave birth to their third child.
In 2025, testing revealed that he was not in fact the father of the unborn child he is now accused of killing.
Prior to those federal charges being filed, Birchmore’s aunt also filed a wrongful death lawsuit claiming that three instructors who were involved in the Stoughton Police Explorer’s Program had inappropriate sexual relationships with her niece, who was orphaned at 18 following the death of her chronically ill single mother.
In addition to Matthew, the suit also accused his twin brother William of engaging in a sexual relationship with Birchmore after she had reached the age of consent.
William, who was also a police officer, would eventually admit to having a sexual relationship with Birchmore for two years.
And now, he may be testifying against his brother at his trial.
Both William and Matthew’s wife Angela are among the potential witnesses named in a court filing over the weekend, though it is unclear if either is cooperating with the prosecution.
Credit: Justice for Sandra Birchmore/Facebook
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Matthew has entered a plea of not guilty and maintains that Birchmore took her own life.
If convicted, he faces life in prison.
Matthew’s trial is being held at the John J. Moakley Courthouse in Boston and is expected to last about a month.
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