MA - Sandra Birchmore- 23, Stoughton, 4 Feb 2021 *former police officer arrested* MEDIA ONLY - NO DISCUSSION

[Seattle1]

Death of Sandra Birchmore was a homicide, prominent pathologist says - The Boston Globe

The finding contradicts the 2021 conclusion of the state medical examiner, who ruled that Birchmore, a young woman who was allegedly groomed by three former Stoughton police officers, died of suicide.

www.bostonglobe.com

June 24, 2024

In a letter dated June 18 to a lawyer for Birchmore’s estate, Dr. Michael Baden, a former chief medical examiner in New York City, cited the extent of Birchmore’s injuries and the placement of a ligature found on her body as factors in his determination.

In May 2021, the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled that Birchmore, 23, a former participant in a Stoughton police youth program who was pregnant when she died, killed herself by hanging, according to her death certificate.

“I must disagree,” Baden wrote in the letter.

“Ms. Birchmore did not die of suicidal hanging … The cause of Ms. Birchmore’s death is ‘Strangulation’ and the manner of death is ‘Homicide,’” Baden wrote.

Baden’s determination opens a new front in the controversial case that has prompted investigations by the FBI and the state attorney general’s office. Stoughton police also conducted its own internal affairs investigation of the three former officers. No criminal charges have been brought.

 

[Seattle1]

Former Police Officer Accused of Abusing & Fatally Strangling Pregnant Sandra Birchmore-- 9/1/24​

 

[Seattle1]

Read 2 key court documents that detail disturbing evidence in Sandra Birchmore murder case

Here are two key documents that detail the allegations and FBI's evidence against an ex-Stoughton cop accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend.

www.enterprisenews.com

8/29/24

STOUGHTON — In a dramatic change, federal prosecutors charged former Stoughton cop Matthew Farwell with killing Sandra Birchmore. Local and state prosecutors had ruled her death a suicide.

Birchmore had told Farwell she was pregnant with his child. Prosecutors allege that Farwell used his knowledge of police procedures to make it look like she had hanged herself when, in fact, Farwell had strangled her and arranged the scene to look like a suicide.

[..]

Here are two important documents in the case.

First is the Department of Justice's 4-page indictment. It was previously sealed but became public Wednesday, Aug. 28 when the FBI arrested Farwell in Revere.

[SEE MSM LINK FOR FEDERAL DOCS]

 

[Seattle1]

United States District Court​

District of Massachusetts (Boston)​

CRIMINAL DOCKET FOR CASE #: 1:24-cr-10259-DJC-1​

Case title: USA v. Farwell

Date Filed: 08/27/2024

---

Assigned to: Judge Denise J. Casper Referred to: Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley

Defendant (1)

Matthew Farwell Pending Counts 18:1512(a)(1)(C) - KILLING A WITNESS OR VICTIM (1) ​ Date Filed # Docket Text 08/27/2024 1​ SEALED INDICTMENT as to Matthew Farwell (1) count(s) 1. (Attachments: # 1 JS45)(Alves-Baptista, Antonia) (Entered: 08/27/2024) 08/27/2024 2​ MOTION to Seal Case as to Matthew Farwell by USA. (Alves-Baptista, Antonia) (Entered: 08/27/2024) 08/27/2024 3​ Magistrate Judge Donald L. Cabell: ELECTRONIC ORDER entered granting 2 Motion to Seal Case as to Matthew Farwell (1) (Alves-Baptista, Antonia) (Entered: 08/27/2024) 08/27/2024 4​ Arrest Warrant Issued by Magistrate Judge Donald L. Cabell as to Matthew Farwell. (Alves-Baptista, Antonia) (Entered: 08/27/2024) 08/27/2024 5​ ELECTRONIC NOTICE of Case Assignment as to Matthew Farwell; Judge Denise J. Casper assigned to case. If the trial Judge issues an Order of Reference of any matter in this case to a Magistrate Judge, the matter will be transmitted to Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley. (Alves-Baptista, Antonia) (Entered: 08/27/2024) 08/27/2024 6​ Judge Denise J. Casper: ELECTRONIC ORDER entered. Order Referring Case to Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley Reason for referral: Full Pretrial Proceedings as to Matthew Farwell (Alves-Baptista, Antonia) (Entered: 08/27/2024) 08/28/2024 7​ MOTION to Unseal Case as to Matthew Farwell by USA. (Vieira, Leonardo) (Entered: 08/28/2024) 08/28/2024 8​ Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley: ELECTRONIC ORDER entered granting 7 Motion to Unseal Case as to Matthew Farwell (1) (Vieira, Leonardo) (Entered: 08/28/2024) 08/28/2024 ​ Arrest of Matthew Farwell (Vieira, Leonardo) (Entered: 08/28/2024) 08/28/2024 9​ MOTION for Detention as to Matthew Farwell by USA. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit A: Affidavit)(Cummings, Torey) (Attachment 1 replaced on 8/28/2024) (Vieira, Leonardo). Modified on 8/28/2024 to fix blank space(Vieira, Leonardo). (Entered: 08/28/2024) 08/28/2024 10​ Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley: ORDER entered. ORDER APPOINTING FEDERAL DEFENDER PROGRAM as to Matthew Farwell, Added attorney Sandra Gant. (Vieira, Leonardo) (Entered: 08/28/2024) 08/28/2024 11​ ELECTRONIC NOTICE OF HEARING as to Matthew Farwell Initial Appearance and Arraignment set for 8/28/2024 02:30 PM in Courtroom 22 (In person only) before Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley. Please find the Waiver of Appearance here.(Vieira, Leonardo) (Entered: 08/28/2024) 08/28/2024 13​ Electronic Clerk's Notes for proceedings held before Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley: Initial Appearance and Arraignment as to Matthew Farwell (1) Count 1 held on 8/28/2024. The Court advised the defendant of his rights and the charges against him. The court appointed Attorney Gant to represent the defendant subject to review of financial affidavit. The government stated the maximum penalties and moved for detention. The defendant waived the reading of the indictment and entered a plea of not guilty as to count 1 of the indictment. The Court reminded the government of its obligations under Rule 5 (f). Orders on time excluded under the Speedy Trial Act and Rule 5(f) to issue. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the USMS. Detention Hearing set for 9/10/2024 11:15 AM in Courtroom 24 (In person only) before Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley. (Attorneys present: Gant, Fogerty, Riley, Cummings, Paiva PO. )Court Reporter Name and Contact or digital recording information: Digital Recording. To order a copy of this Digital Recording, please email the Court at https://forms.mad.uscourts.gov/Audio.html . For a transcript of this proceeding, contact the Court by email at mad_transcripts@mad.uscourts.gov. (Vieira, Leonardo) (Entered: 08/29/2024) 08/28/2024 14​ Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley: ORDER entered. ORDER PURSUANT TO FEDERAL RULE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE 5(f) entered as to Matthew Farwell. (Vieira, Leonardo) (Entered: 08/29/2024) 08/28/2024 15​ Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley: ORDER entered. ORDER ON EXCLUDABLE DELAY as to Matthew Farwell. Time excluded from August 30, 2024 until October 17, 2024. Reason for entry of order on excludable delay: 18 USC 3161(h)(7)(A) Interests of justice. This hearing will be conducted by video conference. Counsel of record will receive a video conference invite at the email registered in CM/ECF. If you have technical or compatibility issues with the technology, please notify the sessions courtroom deputy as soon as possible. For questions regarding access to hearings, you may refer to the Courts general orders and public notices available on www.mad.uscourts.gov or contact media@mad.uscourts.gov. Initial Status Conference set for 10/17/2024 11:30 AM in Courtroom 24 (Remote only) before Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley. (Vieira, Leonardo) (Entered: 08/29/2024) 08/29/2024 12​ NOTICE OF ATTORNEY APPEARANCE: Jane F. Peachy appearing for Matthew Farwell. Type of Appearance: Federal Defender Office. (Peachy, Jane) (Entered: 08/29/2024) 08/30/2024 16​ ELECTRONIC NOTICE OF RESCHEDULING as to Matthew Farwell. At the request of the parties, Detention Hearing set for 9/12/2024 02:00 PM in Courtroom 24 (In person only) before Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley. (Vieira, Leonardo) (Entered: 08/30/2024)

#16 - Last docket entry as 9/2/24

CM/ECF - USDC Massachusetts - Version 1.7.1.2 as of 7/22/2023

ecf.mad.uscourts.gov

@Niner

 

[Seattle1]

U.S. v. Matthew Farwell - Motion for Detention pgs 1-18

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/media/1365631/dl

AFFIDAVIT OF SPECIAL AGENT CHENEE CASTRUITA IN SUPPORT OFGOVERNMENT’S MOTION FOR DETENTION pgs 1-45

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/media/1365636/dl

 

[Seattle1]

U.S. v. Matthew Farwell - Indictment pgs 1-4

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/media/1365626/dl

 

[Seattle1]

Three former Stoughton officers passed Sandra Birchmore ‘around like she was a toy,’ lawyer says - The Boston Globe

A lawsuit and an investigation offer graphic accounts of officers’ reported sexual misconduct involving Sandra Birchmore, who killed herself in 2021.

www.bostonglobe.com

3/1/2024

The report from the 2022 Stoughton police internal investigation was heavily redacted, but its conclusion was clear: Three officers with ties to a former participant in a Stoughton police youth program who killed herself had inappropriate relationships with her.

Now, more than three years after Sandra Birchmore, 23, was found dead in her apartment, graphic details of the officers’ reported sexual misconduct have become public amid developments in a wrongful death lawsuit and proceedings by the state’s law enforcement oversight agency.

Among the new allegations recently disclosed and detailed for the first time are text messages showing one officer initiated sexual contact with Birchmore when she was 15 and he was 27; that two other officers had sex with her in patrol cars when she was an adult; and that the department once used its authority to seek a psychiatric evaluation for her.

[..]

The internal police investigation documented Birchmore’s interactions with Matthew Farwell, 38, a detective, former patrolmen’s union president, and married father; William Farwell, Matthew’s twin brother and a fellow officer; and Robert C. Devine, 51, a former deputy chief in Stoughton who previously led the department’s youth program, the Stoughton Police Explorers Program. They voluntarily left Stoughton police in 2022 and are being sued for wrongful death by Birchmore’s estate, which is also suing the Town of Stoughton for negligence. The former officers and town deny the allegations, court records show.

 

[Seattle1]

Investigation widens in the suicide of former member of Stoughton police youth program - The Boston Globe

A FBI spokesperson declined to comment, saying US Department of Justice policy prohibits the agency from confirming or denying investigations.

www.bostonglobe.com

3/30/24

The FBI recently interviewed people close to Sandra Birchmore, 23, who killed herself, three people told the Globe.

Birchmore participated in a Stoughton police youth program from the time she was 13 until she graduated from high school in 2015. The state medical examiner ruled she killed herself while pregnant with her first child, according to her death certificate. The document doesn’t indicate who fathered the unborn baby.

 

[Seattle1]

‘They’re unfit to serve.’ Stoughton police chief will ask state to decertify officers identified in explosive internal affairs report - The Boston Globe

Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara spoke to reporters Friday, one day after the release of a highly anticipated, redacted 60-page report that found three former officers had inappropriate relationships with a young woman who killed herself last year while she was expecting her first child.

www.bostonglobe.com

9/23/2022

STOUGHTON — Growing up in Stoughton, Sandra Birchmore idolized the local police force and spent time at the headquarters of the officers she admired as a member of a police explorers program for teenagers.

At that same site on Friday, Police Chief Donna McNamara described how three of those officers betrayed Birchmore “up until her final days.” Using new authority created under the state’s 2020 criminal justice reform law, McNamara said she is trying to block the officers who had “inappropriate” relationships with Birchmore from ever working in law enforcement again.

 

[Seattle1]

Norfolk DA investigated Sandra Birchmore and Karen Read cases. What's same and different?

Both cases of alleged homicides in Canton have raised questions about the integrity of the investigations. What we found.

www.enterprisenews.com

8/31/24

Is the Norfolk County DA's office involved in both cases? Why?​

• Canton police found Birchmore dead on Feb. 4, 2021 in her Canton apartment.
• Canton police found O'Keefe dying the morning of Jan. 29, 2022 on the Canton front yard of a fellow Boston cop.
• Both deaths occurred in Canton, so Canton police were the first responders in both cases.
• Norfolk County District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey oversaw both cases, initially. Massachusetts State Police assigned to his office investigated both cases.
• The state's medical examiner ruled in May 2021 that Birchmore died via suicide by hanging.
• In September 2022, Morrissey said the investigation to that point "did not produce evidence of criminality in her death," according to the Boston Globe.
• Early state police investigations of Farwell's phones, using data extracted by State Trooper Nicholas Guarino, produced zero messages between Birchmore and Farwell. Investigators later found 32,709 messages between the two from December 2019 to her death.
• Guarino also worked the Read case and testified in court. Critics point to him missing key data in that case as well.
• Morrissey's office said Wednesday — after Farwell was indicted on federal charges of killing her and staging it to look like a suicide — that the investigation into the death of Birchmore "has remained open and active," adding that "We look forward to supporting and assisting Federal authorities as they pursue this prosecution." Farwell has pleaded not guilty.
• In fall 2023, Morrissey handed the Birchmore investigation to Attorney General Andrea Campbell.
• "While today's indictment does not bring back the precious life of Sandra Birchmore," Campbell said in a Wednesday statement, "these charges are an important step in holding Matthew Farwell accountable for his malicious, predatory, and horrific actions. I applaud the U.S. Attorney's Office and look forward to continuing to collaborate with them as my office continues its investigation into this matter."

 

[Seattle1]

Former Massachusetts Police Officer Arrested in Connection with Murder of Young Woman

BOSTON – A former Stoughton, Mass. police officer has been charged in federal court in Boston with allegedly murdering a young woman to prevent her from disclosing information about his longstanding sexual exploitation of her while he was on duty, beginning when she was a minor.

www.justice.gov

8/28/24

BOSTON – A former Stoughton, Mass. police officer has been charged in federal court in Boston with allegedly murdering a young woman to prevent her from disclosing information about his longstanding sexual exploitation of her while he was on duty, beginning when she was a minor.

Matthew Farwell, 38, of North Easton, Mass., has been indicted on one count of killing a witness or victim. Farwell was arrested this morning and will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at 2:30 p.m. today.

According to the indictment, on or about Feb. 1, 2021, Farwell allegedly killed Sandra Birchmore by strangulation. It is alleged that Farwell staged her body and apartment to make it appear as if Birchmore had committed suicide. The indictment alleges that Farwell killed Birchmore with the intent to prevent law enforcement from learning about Farwell’s commission or possible commission of federal offenses.

 

[Seattle1]

Stoughton police chief ‘disturbed' over family's finding in Sandra Birchmore death

A new forensic report on the death of a pregnant woman whom authorities say had relationships with three Stoughton police officers, including one when she was a girl, has left the department’s chief “profoundly disturbed and troubled,” the official said Monday. It’s the latest update in the...

www.nbcboston.com

6/24/24

A new forensic report on the death of a pregnant woman whom authorities say had relationships with three Stoughton police officers, including one when she was a girl, has left the department's chief "profoundly disturbed and troubled," the official said Monday.

It's the latest update in the death of Sandra Birchmore, who met the three officers as a teenager through the Stoughton Police Department's youth Explorer program, and whom investigators have said died by suicide, with no foul play involved.

 

[Seattle1]

Sandra Birchmore Death: Ex-Cop Arrested, Staged Alleged Suicide​

8/28/24

 

[Seattle1]

8/30/24

How a Massachusetts Cop Allegedly Groomed and Killed Sandra Birchmore

Matthew Farwell met her in a police Explorer program. Prosecutors say he abused her for years before she became pregnant and he killed her.

www.themarshallproject.org

 

[Seattle1]

New allegations reported in Sandra Birchmore case | Canton Citizen

www.thecantoncitizen.com

8/3/24

Birchmore, who was raised in Stoughton before moving to Canton, was found dead in her Windsor Woods apartment in early February 2021 after police responded to a well-being check initiated by her employer after she failed to show up for work on consecutive days.

The state medical examiner ruled that Birchmore, who was 23 years old and three months pregnant at the time, had died by suicide, and a subsequent State Police investigation found no evidence of foul play.

Nineteen months after her death, however, an internal affairs report released by the Stoughton Police Department ignited a flood of interest in the Birchmore case as the public learned of the disturbing allegations made against three SPD officers — brothers Matthew and William Farwell, and Robert Devine, who have all since resigned. The report concluded that all three men, who Birchmore had met as a middle schooler through the department’s now defunct Youth Explorers Program, had inappropriate sexual relations with her and that Matthew Farwell, who was 12 years her senior and married, had an ongoing sexual affair with Birchmore that began when she was 15 and lasted until shortly before her death.

 

[Seattle1]

6/26/24

 

[Seattle1]

Former police officers sued in connection with death of pregnant woman

The officers were accused of "grooming" the woman from a young age and engaging in "repeated sexual assaults."

www.wcvb.com

12/29/22

 

[Seattle1]

8/28/24 --

LIVE! Horrifying Allegations Against A Massachusetts Cop In Connection With Sandra Birchmore​

 

[Izzylizzy]

Three former Stoughton officers passed Sandra Birchmore ‘around like she was a toy,’ lawyer says - The Boston Globe

A lawsuit and an investigation offer graphic accounts of officers’ reported sexual misconduct involving Sandra Birchmore, who killed herself in 2021.

www.bostonglobe.com

3/1/2024

The report from the 2022 Stoughton police internal investigation was heavily redacted, but its conclusion was clear: Three officers with ties to a former participant in a Stoughton police youth program who killed herself had inappropriate relationships with her.

Now, more than three years after Sandra Birchmore, 23, was found dead in her apartment, graphic details of the officers’ reported sexual misconduct have become public amid developments in a wrongful death lawsuit and proceedings by the state’s law enforcement oversight agency.

Among the new allegations recently disclosed and detailed for the first time are text messages showing one officer initiated sexual contact with Birchmore when she was 15 and he was 27; that two other officers had sex with her in patrol cars when she was an adult; and that the department once used its authority to seek a psychiatric evaluation for her.

[..]

The internal police investigation documented Birchmore’s interactions with Matthew Farwell, 38, a detective, former patrolmen’s union president, and married father; William Farwell, Matthew’s twin brother and a fellow officer; and Robert C. Devine, 51, a former deputy chief in Stoughton who previously led the department’s youth program, the Stoughton Police Explorers Program. They voluntarily left Stoughton police in 2022 and are being sued for wrongful death by Birchmore’s estate, which is also suing the Town of Stoughton for negligence. The former officers and town deny the allegations, court records show.

oops.

 

[Seattle1]

TIMELINE: Sandra Birchmore's contacts with Stoughton officer now accused of killing her

More than three years after a pregnant Sandra Birchmore was found dead in her Canton, Massachusetts, apartment, the former Stoughton, Massachusetts, police detective with whom she’d allegedly been in a yearslong sexual relationship with was indicted, accused of strangling her and then staging...

www.nbcboston.com

8/29/2024​

[..]​

Feb. 1, 2021: Farwell kills Birchmore​

Federal investigators allege that Farwell strangled Birchmore in her apartment and then staged it to make it appear that Birchmore committed suicide.

Feb. 4, 2021: Birchmore's body is found​

Canton police officers conducted a well-being check and found Birchmore dead in her apartment. At least one first responder noted that Birchmore had been dead for "days."

Feb. 6, 2021: Farwell lies to Mass. State Police investigators​

Farwell allegedly provided false statements to Massachusetts State Police investigators when questioned about Birchmore's death.

Feb. 9, 2021: Farwell makes and deletes Google searches​

Court documents state that Farwell made two Google searches he then deleted - for “can delete [sic] imessage be recovered hy [sic] cellebrite" and “can you revoke consent in massachusetts.” Cellebrite is a tool used to analyze data on cellphones.

May 2021: Birchmore's death is ruled a suicide​

A state pathologist rules Birchmore's cause of death asphyxia by hanging and manner of death a suicide.

April 1, 2022: Farwell resigns from Stoughton Police Department​

Farwell resigns amid an ongoing probe into Birchmore's death

Sept. 23, 2022: Stoughton police chief releases details of internal investigation​

The results of a lengthy internal investigation by the Stoughton Police Department reveal that three officers — Matthew Farwell, William Farwell and Robert Devine — and a fourth person are suspected of having inappropriate relationships with Birchmore. The officers have denied the accusations.

Dec. 29, 2022: Birchmore's family files wrongful death lawsuit​

Birchmore's estate files a civil lawsuit alleging "wrongful death, negligence, negligent supervision, negligent retention, pain and suffering, and emotional distress" over what it described as a yearslong grooming scheme.