Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Ex-Stoughton cop accused of killing Sandra Birchmore appears in court; defense pushes for venue change
Lawyers for Matthew Farwell are arguing that "one-sided" media coverage in Massachusetts necessitates a move to Rhode Island for the trial.
Matthew Farwell, the former Stoughton police detective accused of killing 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore while she was pregnant, appeared in court this week for the first time since his arrest.
The hearing concerned Farwell’s request to move his trial to Rhode Island. He and his lawyers contend that there has been “one-sided, biased media coverage” of the case in the Boston area, leading to the “widespread public misbelief” that Farwell groomed Birchmore, had sex with her when she was a minor, and ultimately killed her, according to court documents filed in November.
Federal prosecutors are opposing the venue transfer request, saying that potential jurors will be adequately screened in Boston and that an “impartial jury” will be seated for the trial.
Advertisement:
US District Court Chief Judge Denise Casper heard arguments from both the defense and the prosecution on Tuesday, indicating that she would issue a ruling at a later date, The Boston Globe reported.
Farwell wore a tan prison jumpsuit and did not speak during the hearing, per the Globe.
Birchmore was found dead in her Canton apartment in February 2021. State investigators ruled that her death was a suicide. But in 2024, federal authorities indicted Farwell, alleging he killed Birchmore and staged her death to appear as if it were a suicide. He has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors allege that Farwell met Birchmore when she was a freshman in high school. The Stoughton Police Department was operating a program for young people interested in law enforcement careers at the time. Birchmore was a participant, and Farwell was an instructor.
Advertisement:
Farwell allegedly committed statutory rape when Birchmore was 15, and the two engaged in a sexual relationship that lasted for the better part of a decade. This sometimes involved meeting up while Farwell was on the clock, prosecutors say.
Birchmore told Farwell that she was pregnant in late 2020, leading to an argument. Tensions escalated in the following weeks, according to the indictment, and evidence contained in court filings suggests that there were physical altercations between the two. Birchmore spent the final days of her life planning for her future child, according to prosecutors.
An internal affairs investigation determined that Birchmore had “inappropriate relations” with multiple members of the Stoughton Police Department, including a former deputy police chief.
DNA testing has determined that Farwell was not the father of the baby that Birchmore was carrying at the time of her death, the Globe reported last year. Authorities have not said publicly whether they have determined who the child’s father was.
There has been extensive media coverage of the case, which Farwell’s lawyers cited in court documents. They say that outlets including the Globe perpetuated a biased narrative around Farwell that has convinced the wider community of his guilt.
Advertisement:
Farwell’s lawyers are hoping to transfer the case to Rhode Island, in part because it has not received the same media attention there, they said in court documents.
“Providence has its own news coverage and lacks the local and personal interest and volume of personal, prejudicial and inflammatory coverage paid to this case and Mr. Farwell by the local press in Massachusetts,” they wrote in the motion for a change of venue.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com