A group of people gathered in downtown Stoughton, Massachusetts, on Saturday, demanding justice for Sandra Birchmore.
Birchmore was three months pregnant when she was found dead in her Canton apartment in 2021. Her death was ruled a suicide at the time. Last month, however, the Boston Globe reported that Birchmore's family had hired a prominent pathologist who concluded her death was a homicide, not a suicide, prompting a number of new developments in the case.
Stoughton's police chief has said a lengthy investigation uncovered that three officers had an inappropriate relationship with Birchmore, one of which started when she was underage and taking part in the department's youth explorers program. The officers denied the accusation.
Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara also said further high-level investigation is warranted.
Supporters seeking justice for Birchmore say she looked up to police, and they want answers.
Protesters were out Saturday across from Stoughton's Town Hall for about three hours to raise awareness about the twists and turns in the investigation.
Lawyers representing the officers are suing the attorney general's office, asking that case files be released as it prepares to fight a civil wrongful death suit filed by Sandra Birchmore's estate. The judge gave the AG's office 30 days to provide more information about the requested documents.
The shocking new developments have raised a lot of questions and more visibility in the case.
"We're trying to get her case out so that the medical examiner will open up her case more to take another look," said the organizer of Saturday's event, Melissa Barry. "People who live in this county need to start asking questions because you don't want this to happen to your child and it not be investigated."
Everyone who was out in Stoughton on Saturday says they will be back, as they want justice for Birchmore, whose case has recently attracted a lot of attention because of its police misconduct allegations, similar to the Karen Read case.
Retired Canton police officer Peter Murphy says he's been following the case closely and has major concerns.
"Hopefully these people have the fortitude to come forward or at least speak with the authorities at the federal level and bring some justice to Sandra Birchmore," he said.
NBC10 Boston reached out to the Norfolk District Attorney's Office for a comment when these new developments in the case were made public, and they said multiple agencies are still reviewing information regarding Birchmore's death.
