MA - Sandra Birchmore, Stoughton, 4 Feb 2021 *former police officer arrested*

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keek said:
Take over!
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They’re giving them a chance to clean house & bring state charges on their own.

It could get ugly. The Norfolk DA has close ties to the Gov & AG & he’s the stereotypical DA who runs the whole justice system in his fiefdom. But not too many win against the feds. And not in a case like this. Talk about causing “public outrage”. So the Gov & AG need to address the issue properly or risk the feds airing all the dirty laundry.

I’m just not hopeful about our state government getting on board with making the necessary moves. Like just stop hiring psychopaths.
 
Linda7NJ said:
I’ve learned Baden will say whatever he’s paid to say.
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It's important to note that the feds did not rely on Michael Baden, who was the medical examiner hired by the family. The feds hired William Smock review the records. Both ME's were in agreement that the commonwealth was wrong and this was a murder not a suicide.

William Smock's background from the affidavit:
As part of this investigation, the government retained Dr. William Smock as an expert to independently review the crime scene photos, autopsy photos, and the Medical Examiner’s autopsy report. Dr. Smock is an emergency medicine residency and forensic fellowship trained physician with more than 40-years of experience in the forensic evaluation of injuries, crime scenes, the forensic evaluation and reconstruction of wounds, including asphyxia- related deaths. His training, experience and position as a Police Surgeon, Instructor at the Louisville Metro Police Academy, Instructor for the U.S. Department of Justice, a Professor of Emergency Medicine, Medical Director of an EMS service, Physician and Medical Advisor to the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service, and an Assistant Medical Examiner with the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s includes the emergency treatment, investigation, and reconstruction of asphyxia- related deaths and the analysis of crime scene for evidence of alteration. He has treated and evaluated thousands of patients, both fatally and non-fatally injured, who have experienced the physiological consequences of asphyxia, including strangulation. Dr. Smock has written, lectured extensively and trained thousands of law enforcement officers, physicians, nurses, judges and attorneys on evidence collection, crime scene investigation, the analysis and reconstruction of wounds, injury mechanisms, and the medical risks and consequences of asphyxia.
 
HawthorneJuniper said:
They’re giving them a chance to clean house & bring state charges on their own.

It could get ugly. The Norfolk DA has close ties to the Gov & AG & he’s the stereotypical DA who runs the whole justice system in his fiefdom. But not too many win against the feds. And not in a case like this. Talk about causing “public outrage”. So the Gov & AG need to address the issue properly or risk the feds airing all the dirty laundry.

I’m just not hopeful about our state government getting on board with making the necessary moves. Like just stop hiring psychopaths.
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Michael Morrissey's term is up in 2026. Assuming he doesn't resign soon in disgrace, as he should, over how this and other cases were handled by the state police and Norfolk County DA's office, he'll finally be primaried. I don't see him surviving this insanity.

I'm stymied as to how state police couldn't find the material the FBI cites in their Motion for Detention. And anyone who saw that video of a hooded, masked up Farwell leaving Sandra's apartment shortly after her phone stopped moving and heard what her friends had to say about the relationship knew what happened to her. How did they just turn a blind eye to a cold blooded killer with a badge and a gun?

Related to this, why didn't the Keystone Canton cops learn how to process a crime scene? This happened in 2021.
 
Izzylizzy said:
So Robert Devine had already been "demoted" and not kicked to the curb and criminally charged like he should have been.
Curious how he "abused his power" in one of the investigations?

Sept.22, 2022
"Robert Devine was a deputy police chief in Stoughton before he was demoted to patrol officer for "abusing his power." He was also part of an after-school program at Stoughton Middle School. "The investigation determined that Devine had inappropriate contact with a female student in that program," McNamara said. '

www.cbsnews.com

'Lies, deceit, and treachery,' Investigation finds 3 former Stoughton police officers had inappropriate relationship with young woman

Three former Stoughton police officers had an inappropriate relationship with a woman for years, an investigation found.
www.cbsnews.com www.cbsnews.com
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Devine had already been in trouble whilst on the force way back in 2014 -- whatever discipline he received doesn't seem to have dissuaded him:

And in 2014, the department was thrown into turmoil when graphic photos of Robert Devine — the second-in-command to then-chief Paul Shastany — and a mistress were e-mailed to members of the department and their spouses.

An investigator, in determining that Devine had been untruthful about his relationship with the mistress and improperly used department resources in the matter, remarked that ”no police department could operate in this fashion and certainly no police department management could be effective or fair if operated in this cavalier manner.”

It was into this dysfunction that a young Sandra Birchmore arrived.


www.bostonglobe.com

‘The worst of small-town governments’: In Stoughton, latest police scandal adds to long history of trouble - The Boston Globe

Over the past two decades, the Stoughton Police Department has been the epitome of dysfunction, besieged by scandals that have rocked this unassuming bedroom community south of Boston.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com
 
sds71 said:
Affidavit of FBI Special Agent Chenee Castruita (US v. Matthew Farwell) Sandra Birchmore Murder:


Other text messages between FARWELL and Birchmore demonstrate his sexual interest in minors.

On June 15, 2019, FARWELL and Birchmore exchanged text messages in which they discussed role-playing during their next sexual encounter. FARWELL asked Birchmore how old she was going to pretend to be during that encounter. When Birchmore responded “14,” FARWELL replied with a smiley face emoji. In another conversation between FARWELL and Birchmore on February 21, 2020, FARWELL describes pinning Birchmore down during sex and asks her: “Will you say Matt stop I’m 13 I’m not ready for this omfg please stop.


“I have also reviewed several text messages from 2020 in which FARWELL instructs Birchmore to act as if he were her older brother coming into her room at night.”


Birchmore’s Final Days

On January 24, 2021, approximately one week prior to Birchmore’s death, she communicated with Person 8 about FARWELL. BIRCHMORE: Soo the father came by last night it was like a complete 360 change
PERSON 8: 180? BIRCHMORE: Yeah


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BBM. This is repulsive. Fellow officers covered up not just statutory rape and murder but also MF's straight-up, unvarnished "s**ual interest in minors" and inc**t roleplay, as well what seems to have been various attempts and successes at p**ping out a troubled teen.

The levels of cruelty and lack of fear of getting caught, at least up until that phone call from SB's friend and the passing on of that sensitive info to MF that likely precipitated this murder, are astonishing.

Everyone and anyone who took part in the crimes and coverups need purging, IMO, even to the extent of disbanding the force and contracting the state police to take over local policing duties. This has happened in at least one jurisdiction in Canada that I'm aware of.
 
scapa said:
Devine had already been in trouble whilst on the force way back in 2014 -- whatever discipline he received doesn't seem to have dissuaded him:

And in 2014, the department was thrown into turmoil when graphic photos of Robert Devine — the second-in-command to then-chief Paul Shastany — and a mistress were e-mailed to members of the department and their spouses.

An investigator, in determining that Devine had been untruthful about his relationship with the mistress and improperly used department resources in the matter, remarked that ”no police department could operate in this fashion and certainly no police department management could be effective or fair if operated in this cavalier manner.”

It was into this dysfunction that a young Sandra Birchmore arrived.


www.bostonglobe.com

‘The worst of small-town governments’: In Stoughton, latest police scandal adds to long history of trouble - The Boston Globe

Over the past two decades, the Stoughton Police Department has been the epitome of dysfunction, besieged by scandals that have rocked this unassuming bedroom community south of Boston.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com
Click to expand...

Shastany, the chief of police in Stoughton, wanted Devine fired over this. When he wasn't allowed to fire him, the chief resigned rather than continue to work with him. Devine, who was/is an attorney on the side, was demoted from his deputy chief position, but faced no other consequences at the time.

Shastany was actually brought in to clean up corruption in the force; corruption that was covered up by the prior chief. David Cohen, another Stoughton cop/lawyer was arrested and did prison time for using his badge to violently collect a debt for a friend. Prosecutor: Stoughton Sgt. Cohen thought he was ‘invincible’

While I can understand Shastany's decision, maybe Sandra Birchmore would still be alive today if he'd stuck around and was allowed to finish his mission.
 
HawthorneJuniper said:
They’re giving them a chance to clean house & bring state charges on their own.

It could get ugly. The Norfolk DA has close ties to the Gov & AG & he’s the stereotypical DA who runs the whole justice system in his fiefdom. But not too many win against the feds. And not in a case like this. Talk about causing “public outrage”. So the Gov & AG need to address the issue properly or risk the feds airing all the dirty laundry.

I’m just not hopeful about our state government getting on board with making the necessary moves. Like just stop hiring psychopaths.
Click to expand...
He has been around for many years, and he is a political creature. Local, knowing everyone, has been there for ages. But this story is so unbelievably ugly that it has to cause significant reverberations.
 
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Does anyone here know exactly WHEN and WHY the FBI started their investigation into this case? Were they invited in?

It still is baffling to me. It feels like deja-vu .
Corrupt and inept local LE. MA-SP " assisting" in the investigation. And a County DA who has blinders on.

This deranged predator continually raped and ultimately murdered SB and her child, and yet he (and others) remained free to walk among us? Until yesterday?

What in the Sam Hell is going on in MA ?
 
HarmonyE. said:
Shastany, the chief of police in Stoughton, wanted Devine fired over this. When he wasn't allowed to fire him, the chief resigned rather than continue to work with him. Devine, who was/is an attorney on the side, was demoted from his deputy chief position, but faced no other consequences at the time.

Shastany was actually brought in to clean up corruption in the force; corruption that was covered up by the prior chief. David Cohen, another Stoughton cop/lawyer was arrested and did prison time for using his badge to violently collect a debt for a friend. Prosecutor: Stoughton Sgt. Cohen thought he was ‘invincible’

While I can understand Shastany's decision, maybe Sandra Birchmore would still be alive today if he'd stuck around and was allowed to finish his mission.
Click to expand...
I remember all this with Shastany. He was so stonewalled but had high hopes.
 
Defendant allegedly murdered a pregnant young woman and staged her death to look like a suicide to prevent law enforcement from learning about their sexual relationship which began when she was a minor


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.

...

Updated August 29, 2024

www.justice.gov

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 www.justice.gov


Attachments
USA v. Matthew Farwell - Indictment [PDF, 225 KB]
USA v. Matthew Farwell - Motion for Detention [PDF, 352 KB]
USA v. Matthew Farwell - Detention Affidavit [PDF, 947 KB]
 
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