A Pregnant Girl's Death Was Ruled a Suicide — The Identity of Her Alleged Killer Is Shocking

According to Boston Magazine, Sandra Birchmore was always interested in law enforcement as a career. She was raised in Stoughton, Mass. by a chronically ill single mother who never spoke about her daughter's biological father.

Birchmore's mother was married at one point, but he died long before she was born. Despite that, Birchmore's last name was the same as her mother's late husband.

Perhaps Birchmore gravitated towards police work because she craved the discipline. Things weren't particularly solid at home so at age 12, Birchmore's mother allowed her daughter to join the Police Explorers program.

That's where she met Matthew Farwell, a policeman who went through the program when he was Birchmore's age. Almost fifteen years later, Farwell would be charged with Birchmore's murder. Where is he now? Here's what we know.

In August 2024, Farwell was arrested and charged with one count of killing a witness or victim, per the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts. As of September 2025, a trial date has not been set.

Farwell also allegedly used his authority in the Explorers program to "groom, sexually exploit, and ultimately sexually abuse Birchmore when she was 15 years old and continued to have sex with her when she became an adult." He was 27 when the alleged abuse began.

Farwell's twin brother, William, joined the Stoughton Police Department in March 2017, per Boston.com. While Birchmore's death was being investigated, William admitted to being in a sexual relationship with her in 2020, when she was 23 years old.

Following an internal affairs investigation, Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara found that a third officer was also allegedly involved with Birchmore. Robert Devine was the Farwell brothers' supervisor.

In December 2020, Birchmore texted Farwell to let him know she was pregnant. He was married and already had two children of his own. Farwell's wife was eight months pregnant with their third child when Birchmore dropped the big news.

Birchmore and Farwell argued about the pregnancy in a heated text exchange. Birchmore claimed this was a choice they both made but Farwell said the opposite was true. "You are truly the worst person on the face of the earth," he wrote.

Texts between Farwell and Birchmore reveal that she wanted to have his baby and often threatened to reveal their relationship to his wife if she didn't get what she wanted. Birchmore also confided in a friend about a few times Farwell frightened her.

She told him in a text that at one point she felt like he wanted to hit her, but knew he would never do something like that.

In January 2021, Birchmore told a friend that Farwell asked for a key to her apartment.

"He asked me if I’d give him a key and said that if I keep it a secret, he’ll be around and see them and all that," said Birchmore in a text. She then explained that Farwell, strangely, looked around in her bathroom and closet, then left, which made the pregnant girl nervous. On Feb. 1, 2021, Farwell texted Birchmore asking if he could come over. Surveillance video shows the police officer stopping by for 30 minutes.

On Feb. 4, Birchmore didn't show up for work. A wellness check was called for Birchmore, whose body was found seated on the floor of her bedroom. The strap of a duffle bag was around her neck and attached to a closet doorknob, the same closet Farwell had inspected.

Her death was initially ruled a suicide, but that changed. DNA later revealed that Farwell was not the father of Birchmore's unborn baby.