Killing of Sandra Birchmore
| Date | February 1, 2021[1] |
|---|---|
| Location | Canton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Type | Alleged homicide |
| Deaths | Sandra Birchmore |
| Accused | Officer Matthew Farwell |
| Charges | Killing a witness or victim |
On February 4, 2021, 23-year-old American woman Sandra Birchmore (May 1997 – February 1, 2021)[2] was found dead in her Canton, Massachusetts apartment. Her death was initially ruled as a suicide by asphyxia. Federal authorities later determined that her death was a homicide, with a local police officer alleged to have killed her.[3][4]
Birchmore's case has drawn parallels to the Karen Read case, another high-profile investigation in Norfolk County. Both cases involve allegations of law enforcement misconduct and have raised questions about the integrity of the investigations conducted by local authorities.[5][6]
Background
[edit]Birchmore was from Stoughton, Massachusetts. Raised only by her mother and grandmother (who both died when she was a teenager), Birchmore became involved with the Stoughton Police Explorers program, at age 12, a program for youths interested in law enforcement careers. In the program, she met Officer Matthew Farwell (born 1985), an instructor for the program.[7] When she was 15 and he was 27, he allegedly began grooming her. He had a sexual relationship with her over the years, leading up to her pregnancy in late 2020.[4][8]
At the time of her death, Birchmore lived in Canton and worked as a teacher's assistant at an elementary school in Sharon,[9] and was taking nursing courses at Massasoit Community College.[10]: pt. 1
Investigation
[edit]On February 4, 2021, Birchmore's colleagues at Sharon Public Schools alerted the police after she missed days of work. Police found her body in her apartment that day. First responders believe she had been dead for days. Surveillance videos from February 1 show Birchmore walking in and out of the apartment in the afternoon and Farwell walking into the building in the evening and leaving after about 30 minutes. When she was discovered, she was wearing the same clothes she wore on February 1.[10]: pt. 2
In 2022, Birchmore's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit naming Matthew Farwell, his twin brother William Farwell, and their supervisor Robert Devine. They believe all three men were involved in sexually assaulting her when she was in the explorer program, and accused the Town of Stoughton and its Police Department of negligent hiring and supervision, which caused Birchmore emotional distress, leading to her supposed suicide.[8]
While Birchmore's death was initially ruled as a suicide by asphyxia, federal authorities later determined that her death was a homicide, alleging that Matthew Farwell strangled her to death and staged it as a suicide to cover up their relationship and her pregnancy.[3][4] Farwell was federally indicted on charges of murder in August 2024.
References
[edit]- ^ US Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts (August 28, 2024). "Former Massachusetts Police Officer Arrested in Connection with Murder of Young Woman" (Press release). United States Department of Justice.
- ^ Assistant United States Attorneys, District of Massachusetts (August 27, 2024). United States v. Matthew Farwell – Indictment. US District Court, District of Massachusetts. United States Department of Justice. General Allegations – para 2, p. 1. Archived from the original on February 13, 2025.
Sandra Birchmore was born in May 1997.
- ^ a b Daniel, Ted (August 28, 2024). "Sandra Birchmore's death initially investigated by state law enforcement". Boston 25 News. (URL inaccessible outside United States; archived version freely accessible). Archived January 14, 2025, at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ a b c Cristantiello, Ross (September 3, 2024). "Sandra Birchmore case timeline". Boston.com.
- ^ Fortin, Matt (August 29, 2024). "Sandra Birchmore case is 2nd Norfolk County death probe that feds intervened in". NBC News Boston.
- First published as: "Feds have stepped in on Karen Read, Sandra Birchmore cases. Experts say it's unusual". NECN. August 29, 2024. Archived from the original on August 29, 2024.
- ^ Planas, Antonio (September 2, 2024). "Two deaths in one Massachusetts town cast doubt on the relationship between police and prosecutors". NBC News.
- ^ Markos, Mary; DiGiammerino, Thea (August 29, 2024). "Advocate says Sandra Birchmore's family 'always thought that she was murdered'". NBC News Boston.
- ^ a b Crimaldi, Laura (December 30, 2022). "Sandra Birchmore's family files suit against 3 ex-Stoughton police officers". Boston.com. The Boston Globe.
- ^ McPhee, Michele (October 24, 2024). "The Betrayal of Sandra Birchmore". Boston Magazine.
- ^ a b
- Crimaldi, Laura; Abraham, Yvonne (December 18, 2024). "Sandra Birchmore put her trust in Stoughton police. They broke it". The Boston Globe magazine. Secrets & Lies, part 1. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
- Crimaldi, Laura; Abraham, Yvonne (December 18, 2024). "What did investigators miss in the Sandra Birchmore case?". The Boston Globe magazine. Secrets & Lies, part 2. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
Further reading
[edit]- USA v. Matthew Farwell – Detention Affidavit. United States Department of Justice. August 28, 2024. (Affidavit of Special Agent Chenee Castruita in Support of Government's Motion for Detention). Archived from the original on February 15, 2025.
External links
[edit]- United States v. Matthew Farwell, statement of case via DocumentCloud