Sandra Birchmore Was 12 When a Cop Allegedly Started Grooming Her. 13 Years Later, Prosecutors Claim He Killed Her Hours Before His Wife Gave Birth By Caroline Blair

Sandra Birchmore was 23 years old and pregnant when her life was allegedly taken from her.

Birchmore, who grew up in a suburb outside of Boston, had discovered that she was pregnant with her first child in late 2020. Her friends shared that she was excited about the news.

A few months later, though, in February 2021, Birchmore’s family received the devastating news that she had been found dead in her apartment. Birchmore’s death was initially ruled a suicide; however, her family and friends didn’t believe that she would die by suicide while pregnant and demanded that police investigate the death as a homicide.

After the police got involved, they discovered that she had allegedly been in a nearly 10-year relationship with married police officer Matthew Farwell, who was almost 15 years older than her at the time of her death. In August 2024, Farwell was arrested and accused of strangling Birchmore before staging the scene to look like a suicide. He has pleaded not guilty.

“When it became clear to Mr. Farwell that he could no longer control [her], he allegedly silenced her permanently,” then acting-U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said at the time of the arrest.

Here’s everything to know about Sandra Birchmore’s death and how her family advocated for a murder investigation.

Sandra Birchmore was raised by her mother in Stoughton, Mass.

Birchmore grew up with a single mother, Denise, in Stoughton, Mass. Denise had a chronic illness, so Sandra was often taking care of her mother.

“She was never brought up like a child,” relative Kellie Nee told The Boston Globe in December 2024. “She was a young adult at an early age.”

Although Denise and Birchmore lived in their own apartment, they were extremely close with Denise’s aunt and uncle, who lived nearby and were considered Denise’s parents and Sandra’s grandparents.

“Her grandmother was her best friend,” William Kilroy, Birchmore’s ex-boyfriend, told The Boston Globe.

Sadly, Denise had a stroke in May 2016 and died just a few days after Birchmore’s 19th birthday. Just one month later, her grandmother died in June 2016. Both deaths took a major toll on Birchmore.

She met Officer Matthew Farwell when she was 12 years old

Both Birchmore and Denise developed close relationships with the Stoughton Police Department because they had frequently relied on their help and support over the years in dealing with emergencies caused by Denise’s chronic illness.

Starting when Birchmore was a small child, she participated in various programs with the police to develop skills in safety, communication and de-escalation.

When Birchmore was 12 years old, she signed up for the Stoughton Police Explorers, a mentorship program run by the department. During her time in the program, she developed a friendship with Officer Farwell, who was a volunteer instructor and in his 20s at the time.

Matthew Farwell allegedly groomed Sandra Birchmore over the course of nearly 10 years

Farwell, who was also an alum of the Explorers program, allegedly began grooming Birchmore shortly after they met through the program, per Boston.com and the FBI. In 2012, the two connected on Facebook and started sending messages to one another and meeting up for so-called tutoring sessions.

By the time Birchmore was 15 years old and Farwell was 27, FBI investigators claim that he committed statutory rape for the first time. Text messages obtained by the FBI allegedly showed that Farwell was grooming Birchmore, tracking her phone, punishing her with violent sex and asking her to play a rape victim during the statutory rape.

Just one month after Farwell and Birchmore allegedly had sex for the first time, he got married. Despite his wedding, Farwell continued having a predatory relationship with Birchmore up until her death, prosecutors allege.

She learned she was pregnant in late 2020

In October 2020, Birchmore allegedly discovered that Farwell’s wife was pregnant with their third child, and said she wanted a child of their own. Birchmore allegedly presented Farwell with an offer for him to impregnate her, and in exchange, she’d keep their illegal affair secret.

On Dec. 28, 2020, Birchmore told Farwell that she was pregnant. He was allegedly angry and wanted “nothing to do with the baby,” according to prosecutors.

“I think she secretly hoped that he would flip the switch and leave [his wife],” one of Birchmore’s friends told The Boston Globe. “She was Sandra, you know? She was hoping that all the lies he had fed to her since she was 15 years old were going to, you know, finally come to fruition.”

Despite Farwell having mixed reactions to the pregnancy, Birchmore expressed excitement to her friends and family. Her friend, Barbara Wright, told PEOPLE in September 2024 that she “was over the moon” about the pregnancy. Wright added that Birchmore had planned to announce the news via social media on Valentine’s Day 2021.

On Feb. 4, 2021, Sandra Birchmore was found dead in her apartment

After Birchmore didn’t show up for work at East Elementary School on Feb. 4, 2021, her coworkers contacted the police, per Boston.com.

While conducting a wellness check, police officers discovered Birchmore’s body seated on the floor of her apartment with a luggage strap around her neck tied to a closet doorknob.

After conducting an autopsy, authorities listed Birchmore’s death as a suicide. They also determined that she died around 9 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2021, based on information collected from her cell phone.

Birchmore’s family insisted that Farwell was involved in her death, and he was arrested in August 2024

Even though an autopsy initially confirmed that Birchmore had died by suicide, her family and friends were determined to have investigators take another look at the case.

“I knew she didn’t kill her baby,” Wright said. “I knew that above all else.”

Birchmore’s family and friends subsequently filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Stoughton Police Department and alleged that Birchmore had been in predatory sexual relationships with Farwell, his brother, William, and former deputy chief Robert Devine, according to NBC News.

An internal affairs investigation at the department concluded that these allegations were true. William has since admitted to having sex with Birchmore as an adult, while Devine denied any encounters, per The Boston Globe.

Then, the FBI got involved and uncovered the depth of Birchmore and Farwell’s alleged relationship and her pregnancy, primarily through their text messages.

On Aug. 28, 2024, prosecutors charged Farwell with strangling Birchmore to death in a seeming attempt to stop her from exposing his abuse. Prosecutors also claimed that he staged the scene to look like a suicide. Farwell has pleaded not guilty.

“Sandra Birchmore survived years of grooming, statutory rape and then sexual violence, all at the hands of Matthew Farwell,” Levy said after the arrest. “He allegedly attempted to cover his tracks to literally try and get away with murder. And he almost did — until today.”

The FBI has shared how they think Matthew Farwell allegedly murdered Sandra Birchmore

After announcing the arrest, the FBI shared information on how they believe Farwell allegedly committed the murder. Prosecutors claimed, using text messages, that Farwell asked Birchmore if he could stop by her apartment around 9 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2021.

Upon arriving, Farwell was seen on a security camera wearing a face mask, baseball cap and hoodie. He allegedly entered Birchmore’s apartment and strangled her to death using a duffel bag strap, according to court documents obtained by ABC News.

After she died, he allegedly “used his knowledge and experience as a law enforcement officer” to make it look like a suicide. Just hours later, Farwell joined his wife to deliver their third child, per Boston.com.