In a courtroom in Boston on Tuesday, the first witness for the prosecution took the stand in the murder trial of former Stoughton Police Department detective Matthew Farwell. Detective Heather Cheever, who mentored the victim, offered a personal portrait of Sandra Birchmore and expressed doubt that her death was a suicide.
Who was Sandra Birchmore?
Sandra Birchmore, a 23‑year‑old resident of Canton, Massachusetts, died in her apartment in 2021. Her death was initially ruled a suicide, but federal prosecutors allege that Farwell, then a detective with the Stoughton Police Department, killed her and staged the scene.
Friends and family remember Birchmore as a friendly, cat‑loving young woman who dreamed of a career in law enforcement. She joined the Stoughton Police Department Explorers Program at age 12, hoping to follow in the footsteps of officers she admired. After high school she pursued criminal‑justice studies in college.
Alleged abuse and a troubled past
According to the prosecution, Birchmore’s relationship with Farwell began when she was a teenager. Farwell, then 27, allegedly started communicating with her online in 2012 and began sexually abusing her in 2013, when she was 15. Prosecutors say the abuse continued for years, and that Birchmore eventually pressured Farwell to become pregnant, threatening to expose the abuse.
Birchmore’s childhood was marked by loss; she never knew her father and was raised by a single mother who encouraged her participation in the Explorers program for structure. The deaths of her mother and grandmother added further hardship.
Recent life and the tragedy
In 2020 Birchmore began working as a teacher’s assistant at East Elementary School in Sharon. Former assistant principal Cheryl Carlson testified that Birchmore was great with children, though she was occasionally absent due to illness and frequently on her phone.
Shortly before her death, Birchmore told her boss that she was pregnant, saying the father was a police officer. Her cousin, Barbara Wright, recalled Birchmore’s excitement, describing her as “over the moon” and “so happy all the time.”
Legal arguments
The prosecution argues that Farwell strangled Birchmore in her Canton apartment and staged the scene to look like a suicide in order to prevent her from revealing their relationship. The defense contends that Farwell visited the apartment only to break up with Birchmore and that she took her own life out of distress.
Detective Cheever testified that she learned of Birchmore’s death through a text chat with other female officers. When a colleague suggested suicide, Cheever said she “didn’t believe it” because Birchmore had never expressed suicidal thoughts to her.
Family’s call for justice
Family members and supporters, including activist Melissa Berry, emphasized the need to protect families from grooming and abuse. “We want Sandra’s legacy to be about learning from what happened to her, so families can recognize grooming,” Berry said.
Wright added, “We can’t really start healing until we get that justice. We’re kind of holding our collective breath.”
Resources
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or visit 988lifeline.org for live chat. Additional resources are available at SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
Original reporting: NBC10 Boston — read the source article.
