Judge sets 2026 trial for ex-cop charged in connection with killing Sandra Birchmore
A federal judge set an October 2026 trial date in the case of former Stoughton Police Officer Matthew Farwell, who is charged with killing Sandra Birchmore , a woman he is accused of sexually abusing beginning when she was a teenager.
The trial is set to begin on Oct. 5, 2026.
Thursday marked the first hearing in Farwell's case in several months , and only the second since his indictment last August . Farwell did not appear for the hearing. He has been held without bail, by agreement, since his indictment.
U.S. District Judge Denise Casper also ordered federal prosecutors to file notice by Jan. 20 if they intend to pursue the death penalty against Farwell. The crime he is charged with, killing a witness or victim, is punishable by death. It carries a minimum sentence of life in prison.
Casper essentially overrode both prosecutors and Farwell's defense, who said there was no need to set deadlines at this stage. She also said the October trial date would stand whether or not Farwell is facing the death penalty.
Kimberley Stevens, a defense lawyer for Farwell, said she believed October 2026 would not be enough time to prepare for a capital trial.
Stevens declined to comment to a MassLive reporter as she exited the courtroom.
Casper also set several other deadlines in the case, including Feb. 2, 2026 for Farwell's defense to file pretrial motions and March 16, 2026 for any motions to suppress evidence. If Farwell's defense decides to file a motion to dismiss, they must do so by Feb. 20, 2026.
A final witness list must be filed by Sept. 21, 2026.
This photo provided by the Stoughton, Mass., Police Department shows Matthew Farwell, a former police officer who pleaded not guilty Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, to charges of killing a woman he is accused of sexually exploiting when she was underage and then trying to stage the death as a suicide after she told him she was pregnant. (Stoughton Police Department via AP)AP
Birchmore was found dead in her Canton apartment in February 2021. Local officials ruled her death a suicide , but federal prosecutors have accused Farwell of killing her and staging the scene to look like a suicide.
Birchmore was pregnant at the time of her death and believed Farwell was the father, prosecutors have said. But DNA testing revealed he did not father her child, The Boston Globe reported .
Farwell first encountered Birchmore after she joined a program run by the Stoughton Police to teach young people about law enforcement careers, where he was a volunteer and later an instructor. Birchmore was 12 years old when she signed up in 2010. Prosecutors say he began sexually abusing her at 15, below the age of consent in Massachusetts.
Federal prosecutors say Farwell killed Birchmore to prevent her from divulging information about other federal crimes. Those crimes, according to an affidavit filed in support of detaining Farwell, are coercing the 15-year-old Birchmore to have sex with him, statutory rape and fraud.
The fraud occurred when Farwell had sex with Birchmore on duty, then claimed to have been performing police work during those hours, according to the filing.
Outside the courthouse, her cousin, Barbara Wright, said she was glad that definitive dates had now been laid out in the case.
"We're ready to go. It's time to get justice for Sandra and her baby," Wright said.
Still, Wright doesn't believe Farwell should be put to death.
"He should just stay in jail for the rest of his life," she said.
Wright called for justice to be brought for other accused of having sexual relationships with Birchmore: Farwell's twin brother, William, and former Stoughton Police Deputy Chief Robert Devine.
William Farwell has been stripped of his certification to work in law enforcement in Massachusetts. Devine is contesting attempts to revoke his certification .
"They were a big part of this, of her grooming and her exploitation, and it led to what happened to Sandra," Wright said.
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