Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts have brought a new charge against former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell, accusing him of causing the death of the unborn child of Sandra Birchmore, the woman he allegedly murdered in 2021.
Farwell, 39, of Easton, was already facing federal charges in connection with Birchmore’s death. The new indictment, announced Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, adds a count of causing the death of an unborn child. He remains in federal custody and will be arraigned at a later date.
Prosecutors allege that on or about February 1, 2021, Farwell strangled Birchmore inside her Stoughton apartment, then staged the scene to make it appear as if she had taken her own life. The indictment claims Farwell acted with malice and intended to stop Birchmore from reporting that he had used his authority as a police officer to groom and sexually exploit her for years, beginning when she was 15 years old and participating in the Stoughton Police Explorers youth program.
Birchmore, who was eight to ten weeks pregnant at the time, had reportedly told Farwell that she intended to keep the baby and that “the birth certificate is being signed.” Prosecutors say Farwell responded by calling her “the worst person on the face of the earth.”
Court documents describe how Birchmore was planning for motherhood in the weeks leading up to her death. She scheduled prenatal appointments, ordered baby supplies, researched pregnancy topics online, and planned a Valentine’s Day pregnancy announcement.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Farwell agreed to attempt to impregnate Birchmore in late 2020 in an effort to prevent her from publicly disclosing details of their relationship. The new federal charge, causing the death of an unborn child under 18 U.S.C. §1841, carries a mandatory life sentence if convicted.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley and FBI Special Agent in Charge Ted E. Docks announced the superseding indictment. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Riley, Torey B. Cummings, and Brian A. Fogerty of the Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Unit.
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