The federal indictment of a former Massachusetts police detective in the 2021 death of Sandra Birchmore — previously ruled a suicide — is an emotional development for family members and advocates.
Matthew Farwell, who was a detective with the Stoughton Police Department, is accused of killing Birchmore and staging her apartment to make it appear she had died by suicide.
Farwell, now 38, is accused of having a sexual relationship with Birchmore from the time she was 15 until her death at 23. She had been a member of the Stoughton Police Explorers Academy, a vocational program designed for youth interested in law enforcement careers, from the age of 12.
Federal prosecutors say Farwell killed Birchmore after she told him she was pregnant with his child.
Birchmore's death certificate, obtained by the NBC10 Boston investigators, refers to Birchmore's manner of death as suicide. Her family has long held that she was killed, and a pathologist they hired reported earlier this year that her death was a homicide.
"The family members that I have spoken to all have believed that it wasn't suicide," Melissa "Mizzy" Berry, an organizer for Justice for Sandra Birchmore, told NBC10 Boston Wednesday. "They've always thought that she was murdered."
Berry says the Birchmore family can't speak publicly due to an ongoing civil suit, but she's been in close contact.
"They're all going to be going through a ball of emotions," Berry said. "She was a young woman who was pregnant with his baby, who was assaulted by him at the age of 15, and this twisted relationship went on until she died when she was 23."
Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673, and Massachusetts provides this list of statewide and resources for sexual assault survivors.
Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara's internal probe found three officers had inappropriate relationships with Birchmore.
"Sandra is on my mind today, as well as her family," McNamara said Wednesday.
Protesters showed their support outside of court, saying the charges should have come a long time ago.
"The things that they did to her are disgusting," said Allison Taggart. "She admired the police. She wanted to be a police officer. They took advantage of her."
"Now, Sandra is getting the first steps of getting some justice for her and the child that she was carrying, and the child that she was so excited to have," Berry said.
She added that those two other officers need to be charged in order for her and the Birchmore family to feel like justice has been served.
Read the federal indictment of Matthew Farwell here:
borate with them as my office continues its investigation into this matter."
