A Massachusetts police detective has been charged with strangling a pregnant woman and filing her death as a suicide in an attempt to prevent her from revealing the extent of their relationship.
Matthew Farwell, 38, is accused of killing 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore in February 2021, just weeks after she told him she was pregnant with his child.
Police allege Farwell began a sexual relationship with Birchmore when she was just 15. He would have been 26 at the time.
The federal indictment, viewed by DailyMail.com, accuses Farwell of beginning the relationship while he was an instructor for the Stoughton Police Department’s Explorer Program, which taught young people about careers in law enforcement.
Birchmore joined the program in 2010, when she was 12. Throughout her time in the program, Farwell was her instructor.
Police allege Farwell intended to kill her to prevent her from talking about the relationship.
A Massachusetts police detective has been charged in the strangulation death of pregnant woman Sandra Birchmore (pictured)
Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said Wednesday: “Sandra Birchmore survived years of harassment, statutory rape and then sexual violence, all at the hands of Matthew Farwell, who was employed throughout the relationship as an officer and then a detective with the Stoughton Police Department.”
The former police officer was arrested by an FBI SWAT team on Wednesday morning and federally charged a short time later.
Birchmore, 23, was three months pregnant when she was found dead inside her home in 2021.
Her death was initially believed to be a suicide, but a pathologist hired by her family disagreed with that assessment and argued that she had been murdered.
Police now allege that Farwell “staged her body and apartment to make it appear as if Birchmore had committed suicide.”
Police allege Farwell had a sexual relationship with Birchmore since she was 15.
“Farwell allegedly used his authority and access to groom, sexually exploit, and ultimately sexually abuse Birchmore when she was 15 years old and continued to have sexual relations with her when she became an adult,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
The statement accuses Farwell of engaging in “sexual acts with Birchmore while on duty as a Stoughton police officer.”
Police have since revealed that he also has a “spouse and children” with whom he lives in North Easton, Massachusetts.
‘To conceal this activity, Farwell allegedly falsely claimed to have worked certain hours, when in fact he was not working but rather engaging in sexual acts with the victim, who was then a minor.
Police say Birchmore had told loved ones before her death that Farwell “became violent” when she revealed she was pregnant with his child.
“Farwell’s sexual contact with Birchmore continued until her death on February 1, 2021,” the statement read.
Farwell worked as a police officer for more than a decade. The alleged crime occurred while he was still working for the Stoughton Police Department.
Police say Birchmore had told loved ones before her death that Farwell “became violent” when she revealed she was pregnant with his child.
The police statement said: “At one point, while she was pregnant, Farwell allegedly held Birchmore in a headlock and told her he wished she was dead.”
Police say Birchmore’s friend called the Stoughton Police Department on Jan. 20 and disclosed the sexual relationship between the 23-year-old and Farwell.
Farwell allegedly became outraged and sent angry text messages to Birchmore and, several days later, asked her to provide him with a key to her apartment and keep it a secret.
Police allege Birchmore grew increasingly uncomfortable with Farwell’s actions, leading him to become increasingly suspicious that she planned to reveal the nature of their relationship.
In a motion urging the state to keep Farwell in pretrial detention, investigators in the case said: “There are no conditions of release that will protect the community from a defendant whose conduct reveals such indifference to human life.
‘Farwell faces a mandatory life sentence for killing Birchmore. The weight of the evidence is overwhelming.’
