A former Stoughton police officer has just been arrested by FBI Boston's SWAT team for the alleged murder of Sandra Birchmore, according to the authorities.
Matthew Farwell, a 38-year-old former police officer, is also alleged to have had a sexual relationship with Birchmore for several years, including when she was under 16, as stated in court documents.
He is currently in custody.
Birchmore, who was three months pregnant at the time, was found dead in 2021. Although her death was initially ruled a suicide, a pathologist hired by her family determined it was actually a homicide, according to the Boston Globe.
The indictment accuses Farwell of killing a witness or victim. It claims that he strangled her on or around February 1, 2021, and "staged" her apartment in Canton "to make it appear as if Birchmore had committed suicide," the Globe also revealed.
Farwell is charged with killing Birchmore "with malice aforethought, willfully, deliberately, maliciously, and with premeditation" to stop her from sharing information about potential federal crimes with law enforcement. According to the indictment, the crimes Farwell might have been implicated in include deprivation of Birchmore's rights, coercion and enticement, and wire fraud. This charge could lead to the death penalty.
There is a news conference scheduled for 1:45pm Wednesday at Boston's federal courthouse.
