Former Stoughton cop accused of killing Sandra Birchmore denied bail pending trial

A federal judge ordered Matthew Farwell, a former Stoughton police officer, to remain in custody pending his trial. The trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 5. The judge described the evidence against him as “very strong, if not overwhelming.” The judge also cited the seriousness of the murder charge as weighing toward dangerousness. Farwell is accused of killing Sandra Birchmore in early 2021 by strangling her and staging the scene to appear like suicide. Birchmore was pregnant, and prosecutors say Farwell believed he was the father. The judge found Farwell posed a flight risk due to the potential sentence and determined release would risk obstruction of justice based on alleged evidence tampering and deception.

"U.S. Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley ordered that Farwell, 40, remain in custody ahead of his trial. His trial is set to begin Oct. 5. In March, Farwell's lawyers filed a motion arguing for his release. Prosecutors filed three supplemental memorandums in support of detention both before and after his April 28 hearing. Kelley cited the evidence against Farwell in her order, describing it as "very strong, if not overwhelming." She also considered the seriousness of the murder charge, which, "in and of itself, weighs in favor of a finding of dangerousness.""

"Farwell is accused of killing Birchmore, 23, in early 2021 by strangling her and staging the scene to make it look like she died by suicide. Birchmore was pregnant at the time, and prosecutors say Farwell believed he was the father of her unborn child. Due to the nature of Farwell's alleged crime and potential sentence if convicted, he poses a flight risk, according to Kelley. She also determined that the context of the allegations suggest that his release would risk obstruction of justice."

""The government argues that Farwell poses a serious risk of obstructing justice if released because there is strong evidence that he killed Birchmore in order to prevent her from revealing his past crimes and then altered the crime scene to prevent his crime from being discovered; that he often told her to destroy evidence of their relationship by telling her to delete texts; and that he attempted to delete incriminating data from his own phone," Kelley wrote in the ruling. "In addition, the government points to evidence that Farwell lied to Massachusetts State Police detectives who were investigat""

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