Former police officer allegedly killed pregnant girlfriend and staged it as a suicide

BOSTON (AP) — A former Massachusetts police officer is accused of killing a woman he first sexually exploited when she was a minor and then trying to fake the death as a suicide.

Matthew Farwell was charged Tuesday with strangling Sandra Birchmore in early 2021 after she told him she was pregnant and he was the father. Birchmore was 23 at the time.

According to the allegations in the indictment, Farwell killed Birchmore to prevent authorities from finding out details of his sexual offense.

He was scheduled to make his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon. Phone calls seeking comment and messages left with Farwell were not immediately returned, and it was not clear who represented him in court and could speak on his behalf.

Farwell worked as an officer for the Stoughton police department, south of Boston, for ten years, from 2012 to 2022. The reason for his departure from the police department was not immediately clear.

According to the indictment filed in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, Birchmore first participated in the Police Explorer program at the age of 12.

Court records show that Farwell, who had volunteered with police investigators, abused his authority and access to manipulate, sexually exploit and then sexually abuse Birchmore when she was 15 and continued to have sex with her as she grew into adulthood.

In late 2020, Birchmore found out she was pregnant and told Farwell, the indictment says.

The following month, a friend of Birchmore's called Stoughton police and told them Farwell had had sex with Birchmore. Farwell strangled Birchmore on or about Feb. 1, 2021, and then staged her apartment to make it look like she had committed suicide, according to the charges.

In some cases, Farwell falsely claimed he worked certain hours to cover up the fact that he had sexually abused Birchmore while on duty when she was a minor, court documents say.

Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara said Wednesday the department was working with other agencies, including the FBI, on the investigation.

“The day after Sandra Birchmore was found dead in her Canton apartment, I ordered a lengthy and aggressive internal investigation, with instructions that made clear that no stone would be left unturned,” McNamara said in a statement.

“The alleged murder of Sandra is a horrific injustice,” McNamara said. “The allegations against the suspect, a former Stoughton police officer, represent the worst case of not only professional misconduct but human indecency that I have witnessed in my nearly three-decade career in law enforcement.”

If convicted of killing a witness or victim, Farwell would face the death penalty or life imprisonment.