Farwell Faces Jury Deliberations in Birchmore Murder Trial

A federal jury in Boston is preparing to deliberate in the murder trial of former Stoughton police detective Matthew Farwell, 41, accused of strangling Sandra Birchmore, 23, in her Canton apartment on February 1, 2021, and disguising her death as a suicide. Prosecutors allege he killed her to prevent her from exposing their sexual relationship, which allegedly began when she was 15.

Closing arguments began Friday, November 6, 2026, after more than three weeks of testimony. According to The Boston Globe, prosecutors and defense attorneys each received 90 minutes to address the jury before Chief US District Court Judge Denise J. Casper delivered instructions to the 10 men and six women serving on the panel.

Farwell has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers acknowledge an extramarital relationship but maintain that he did not have sexual contact with Birchmore until she was an adult and had no involvement in her death.

Prosecutors presented digital evidence to establish Farwell's movements during Birchmore's final hours. According to forensic testimony, her phone registered its final lock at 9:13 p.m. Security footage showed Farwell entering her apartment building approximately one minute later.

Her device recorded several steps at 9:40 p.m., marking its final movement. Three minutes afterward, surveillance footage captured Farwell leaving the building, according to evidence presented during the trial.

Prosecutors also challenged the suicide theory by highlighting Birchmore's preparations for motherhood. She had arranged a maternity photo shoot, searched for a baby shower venue and considered names for her child. An unopened stroller and an ultrasound photograph were also found in her apartment.

Her therapist, Diala Alkhalil, testified that Birchmore had attended an appointment the day before her death and showed no signs of suicidal intentions. Multiple witnesses described her as an “oversharer,” explaining that she regularly communicated everyday concerns to friends, relatives and medical professionals.

Prosecutors further argued that Birchmore's pregnancy and increasingly strained relationship with Farwell created conflict between them. Text messages reportedly showed disagreements about his involvement in the child's life and whether he would acknowledge paternity.

The prosecution's medical expert, Dr. William Smock, testified that damage to Birchmore's unfused hyoid bone supported strangulation. He described the death scene as “altered,” and concluded that the injuries indicated homicide rather than suicide.

A later paternity test established that another man, not Farwell, was the father of Birchmore's unborn child. Nevertheless, prosecutors maintained that Farwell believed the pregnancy involved him when the relationship deteriorated.

The defense presented a different medical interpretation. Dr. Thomas Andrew, a former chief medical examiner in New Hampshire, testified that the physical evidence was consistent with hanging and disputed Smock's homicide conclusion.

Farwell's attorneys also emphasized Birchmore's mental health history, including psychiatric medication beginning at age six, a teenage suicide attempt and writings about ending her life. They introduced a 2017 suicide note and another document listing arguments for and against suicide.

During Wednesday's proceedings, November 4, Farwell declined to testify. Addressing Judge Casper, he stated:

"At this time I do not elect to testify." Farwell told the court.

His defense also questioned the handling of digital evidence recovered from Birchmore's devices. An expert was asked:

"Were best practices used in preserving Miss Birchmore’s MacBook?" the defense asked its forensic expert.

"No," the expert answered.

The defense subsequently examined internet searches recorded on Birchmore's computer shortly before her death. One entry concerned the color of a suicide ribbon.

"What did Sandra Birchmore do at 7:50 p.m. and 32 seconds?" the defense asked.

"She searched the suicide ribbon," the expert answered.

The defense then sought an explanation of how investigators established the exact wording of the search.

"How did you know she typed in that full sentence?" the defense asked.

"Because after this entry she got a complete search," the expert answered.

However, cross-examination highlighted the absence of a suicide note or farewell messages on Birchmore's phone on the day she died.

The broader investigation also raised questions about the original local police inquiry. Birchmore was initially classified as a suicide after her body was discovered in a seated position with a strap around her neck, attached to a doorknob. The Massachusetts medical examiner's office subsequently changed the official cause of death to “undetermined.”

The FBI opened a separate investigation in 2023 after concerns raised by a former Stoughton police deputy chief. Federal investigators identified shortcomings in the original inquiry, including Farwell's brief interview, the absence of injury examinations and DNA sampling, and deleted text messages that complicated the examination of his phone.

The FBI investigation recovered approximately 40,000 messages exchanged between Farwell and Birchmore. Some referred to sexual encounters when Birchmore was 15, below Massachusetts' age of consent, which is 16.

Farwell's twin brother, Billy Farwell, also testified about the original investigation. He said the lead investigator, a longtime family friend, expressed frustration about the case and described wanting it closed as needing a “bullet in the head.”

The jury must now assess the competing medical conclusions, digital records, relationship evidence and investigative findings to determine whether Birchmore died by suicide or was murdered.