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Ex-cop charged with killing sex abuse victim Sandra Birchmore faces verdict — after grim details emerged at trial
Matthew Farwell’s trial over the death of Sandra Birchmore is nearing its end, with closing arguments due in Boston and jurors expected to deliberate afterwards. Prosecutors say the former police detective killed Birchmore and staged her death as a suicide to conceal their relationship and her pregnancy; the defence says she died by suicide after he visited to end their relationship.
Birchmore, 23 and pregnant, was found dead in February 2021, and her death was initially ruled a suicide. Prosecutors allege Farwell groomed and sexually abused her from age 15, when he ran a youth police programme she attended, and called 38 witnesses during the trial; the defence called 12 of the 50 witnesses. Farwell has pleaded not guilty to killing a victim or witness and killing an unborn baby, and DNA testing found he was not the father of Birchmore’s pregnancy.
In short
- Closing arguments are due before jurors consider Farwell’s case.
- Prosecutors allege he staged Birchmore’s death as a suicide.
- The defence argues Birchmore died by suicide.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The prosecution’s case is that Birchmore’s death was a homicide made to look like suicide, and that Farwell killed her to prevent her from exposing their relationship and pregnancy. It may argue that the alleged history of grooming and abuse, alongside the circumstances surrounding her death, helps explain a motive and supports its account of events.
The case against
The defence’s case is that Birchmore died by suicide after Farwell visited to end their relationship, and that the prosecution has not proved beyond reasonable doubt that he killed her. Farwell’s not guilty plea and the finding that he was not the father of the pregnancy are relevant context, while the jury must assess the evidence rather than treat allegations of past abuse as proof of murder.