Key moments from trial of Matthew Farwell, ex-cop charged with killing Sandra Birchmore

CBS News · Alex Sundby · 2026-11-06 15:45 UTC

The fate of Matthew Farwell is expected to go to the jury soon in the 2021 death of Sandra Birchmore.

The fate of Matthew Farwell will soon be in the hands of the jury in his trial over the death of Sandra Birchmore, who federal prosecutors say was killed by the former Massachusetts police officer after years of sexual abuse that started when she was a teenager.

Farwell has pleaded not guilty to killing the 23-year-old and her unborn son in 2021. Prosecutors accused Farwell of staging Birchmore's death to look like a suicide.

Prosecutors said Farwell started sexually abusing Birchmore when she was 15 and he was 27. The two met through a police youth program that's designed to teach children about law enforcement careers. Farwell, who worked for the police department in Stoughton, Massachusetts, was an instructor for the program.

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