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| Matthew Farwell was convicted on Nov. 10, 2026, on both federal counts in the death of Sandra Birchmore and her unborn son matthew-farwell-guilty-verdict-sandra-birchmore.jpg |
Updated: November 12, 2026
Matthew Farwell, a former Stoughton, Massachusetts, police detective, was found guilty by a federal jury in Boston on Nov. 10, 2026, of killing 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore and causing the death of her unborn child. The conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, and sentencing is set for Feb. 3, 2027.
Matthew Farwell Verdict: Quick Facts
Defendant: Matthew Farwell, 41, former Stoughton Police Department officer and detective
Victim: Sandra Birchmore, 23, a teacher's aide who was pregnant with a boy
Charges: Killing a witness or victim; causing the death of an unborn child under federal law
Verdict: Guilty on both counts, Nov. 10, 2026, U.S. District Court, Boston
Trial length: 19 days, per JournalArta; other outlets count about 17 days of testimony before closing arguments
Penalty: Mandatory life without parole; prosecutors did not seek the death penalty
Sentencing: Feb. 3, 2027, before U.S. District Judge Denise Casper
Defense position: Birchmore died by suicide; Farwell pleaded not guilty
What Was Matthew Farwell Convicted Of?
Farwell was convicted on two federal counts: killing a witness or victim, and violating a federal law protecting unborn children. According to WBUR, CBS News and the U.S. Attorney's Office, the jury found he killed Sandra Birchmore and her unborn son inside her Canton apartment in early February 2021, then staged the scene to look like a suicide. A conviction on either count requires a life sentence without parole, according to CBS News.
Who Was Sandra Birchmore?
Sandra Birchmore met Farwell as a child through the Stoughton Police Explorers program, a youth program run with the department, according to reporting by Los Angeles Magazine citing federal prosecutors. She was 23 when she died, working as a teacher's aide, and her family and U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said she was looking forward to becoming a mother and applying to nursing school.
Prosecutors told jurors that the relationship with Farwell began when Birchmore was a minor and that he controlled her for years. In closing arguments on Nov. 6, Assistant U.S. Attorney Fogerty told the jury Farwell tracked her location and instructed her to destroy evidence of the relationship, according to Boston.com's trial coverage.
A separate internal investigation by the Stoughton Police Department, reported by Boston 25 News, found that Farwell's twin brother, William Farwell, and former officer Robert Devine also engaged in inappropriate relationships with Birchmore when she was 13.
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| Farwell faces mandatory life without parole and will be sentenced on Feb. 3, 2027, by Judge Denise Casper. matthew-farwell-life-sentence-feb-3-2027.jpg |
What Happened to Sandra Birchmore in February 2021?
Prosecutors said Farwell strangled Birchmore on Feb. 1, 2021, according to the Associated Press. That was 12 days after a tipster called the Stoughton police department to report an improper relationship between the two.
Prosecutors argued the killing was meant to stop Birchmore from exposing the relationship and his federal crimes, according to NBC Boston. Text messages shown at trial, as reported by the AP, revealed an increasingly tense relationship in late 2020. The two argued over what role Farwell would play in the child's life, and Birchmore threatened to tell his wife.
A paternity test after Birchmore's death showed that a different man was the baby's father, the AP reported.
Prosecutors also pointed to Birchmore's phone data. Fogerty told jurors the battery life was consistent with her life ending while Farwell was in her apartment, per Boston.com. Federal prosecutors further said Farwell's wife gave birth to their third child hours after Birchmore's death, and that he went to the hospital to be with his family, according to Court TV and Los Angeles Magazine.
How Did the Matthew Farwell Trial Play Out?
The trial ended in a tense stretch of deliberations. According to the NBC Boston and Boston 25 timelines:
Aug. 28, 2024: FBI agents arrested Farwell and he pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors added the unborn-child charge the following year.
Nov. 6, 2026: Closing arguments ended and the jury began deliberating that afternoon.
Nov. 9, 2026: Jurors sent the judge a note saying they were deadlocked.
Nov. 10, 2026: Less than 24 hours later, the jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts.
Birchmore's family gasped as the verdict was read, CBS News reported. A cousin described the family's feelings as sadness, happiness and release, per Boston 25 News.
What Did the Defense Argue?
Farwell's attorneys said Birchmore took her own life. Defense lawyer Kimberly Stevens told jurors that Farwell did not kill her, according to political.org's trial summary.
The defense case, as reported by WBUR and the Rhode Island outlet Turn to 10, rested on several points:
Birchmore had a history of mental health struggles, including a previous suicide attempt.
She had threatened suicide before.
She died after Farwell visited her apartment to end the relationship and told her he was not the baby's father.
A defense medical expert disputed the prosecution's conclusion that she had been strangled.
The original medical examiner's ruling was suicide, and defense experts argued that ruling was correct, WBUR reported. Farwell's public defenders also filed a motion for acquittal before the verdict, arguing prosecutors had not proven he killed Birchmore to keep her quiet, per Los Angeles Magazine. The jury rejected the defense theory.
Why Is the Original Investigation Under Fire?
The verdict also puts the first response to Birchmore's death under scrutiny. Birchmore's death was initially treated as a suicide. According to reporting by Los Angeles Magazine, two investigators, a Canton police officer and a Massachusetts State Trooper, called the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner the morning her body was recovered and said it was a suicide without processing a crime scene.
The AP reported further problems in the early investigation. Investigators did not take notes, examine Farwell for injuries or collect his DNA, and police looked at his phone only after he had deleted texts with Birchmore.
Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey's office acknowledged the verdict and the criticism it has received over its handling of the case, NBC Boston reported. Morrissey said he hopes the verdict brings closure to Birchmore's family and friends. The federal prosecution succeeded where the original state-level conclusion had been that no crime occurred.
What Did Officials and Birchmore's Family Say After the Verdict?
U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley said at a press conference that justice was served for Birchmore and her unborn son, according to Court TV. She called Farwell's conduct after the killing diabolical, noting he went on with his life believing he had gotten away with it.
Stoughton acting police chief James O'Connor said he was grateful for the verdict and called Farwell's actions a profound betrayal of the trust placed in every police officer, per CBS News. Former chief Donna McNamara credited the people who kept asking questions about the case, Boston 25 News reported.
Birchmore's family described Farwell with harsh words, according to Boston 25 News, and said no verdict can bring back Birchmore or her unborn son. Her cousin, Ray Cosgrove, thanked those who pursued answers.
Why Does the Matthew Farwell Case Matter?
The Farwell case is about more than a single killing. It is about a police officer accused of using a youth program to gain access to a child, then using his badge, his position as union president and his knowledge of how investigations work to avoid accountability. The case also asks why a death scene was classified as a suicide before a crime scene was processed, and why it took years and federal agents to reach a different conclusion.
The conviction is a federal one. The U.S. Attorney's Office pursued it after the state-level handling drew criticism, and the Department of Justice decided last year not to seek the death penalty, CBS News reported.
What Happens Next for Matthew Farwell?
Farwell will be sentenced Feb. 3, 2027, by Judge Denise Casper. Because both counts require life without parole, the judge has no discretion on the sentence itself. Farwell, who has been held without bail since his August 2024 arrest, can pursue post-trial motions and an appeal, as noted in political.org's case summary. Defense lawyers had already signaled their challenge to the government's evidence by seeking acquittal before the verdict.
Matthew Farwell Verdict: Frequently Asked Questions
Was Matthew Farwell found guilty?
Yes. A federal jury in Boston found Matthew Farwell guilty on all counts on Nov. 10, 2026, of killing Sandra Birchmore and causing the death of her unborn child.
What sentence does Matthew Farwell face?
Farwell faces mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole. Judge Denise Casper is scheduled to sentence him on Feb. 3, 2027.
How old was Sandra Birchmore when she died?
Sandra Birchmore was 23 and pregnant with a boy when she died in her Canton, Massachusetts, apartment in early February 2021.
Was Sandra Birchmore's death first ruled a suicide?
Yes. The medical examiner initially ruled it a suicide. The jury rejected that account and accepted the prosecution's theory that Farwell strangled her and staged the scene.
Was Matthew Farwell the father of Sandra Birchmore's baby?
No. According to the Associated Press, a paternity test after her death showed a different man was the father.
Will Matthew Farwell face the death penalty?
No. The Department of Justice decided last year not to seek the death penalty, according to CBS News.
What did the defense claim?
The defense said Birchmore died by suicide after Farwell visited her apartment to end their relationship. The jury did not accept that claim.