What we know about Matthew Farwell's connection with Sandra Birchmore

Matthew Farwell is charged with one count of a witness or victim he faces a minimum of life in prison if convicted 3 years after it was believed Sandra burchmore took her own life a former stoen Massachusetts police detective was arrested for her murder former stoon police debt Matthew Farwell 38 is accused of killing her in her own Canton home while she was pregnant it was a three-year-long investigation starting with an internal investigation with stoen police and then the FBI investigation and a cell phone video shows it culminated in this SWAT team arrest Wednesday morning of Farwell of North Easton investigators alleg Farwell had an ongoing illegal sexual relationship with birchmore beginning when she was just 15 years old the two met when birchmore was in a youth explorers program that Farwell was running prosecutors now alleg that married detective fatally strangled birchmore in her Canton apartment in 2021 mid claims that he was the father of her unborn child investigators said they now believe that Farwell staged the 23-year-old's death to look like a suicide Matthew farwell's gun and badge did not Grant him authority to violate the constitution and it certainly didn't entitle him to sexually exploit abuse and rape a child before killing her and her unborn baby in an attempt to cover up his alleged crimes said Steven Kelly FBI assistant special agent in charge he used his knowledge and experience as a law enforcement officer to Stage her death to look like a suicide he allegedly attempted to cover his tracks to literally try and get away with murder and he almost did said Joshua Levy acting you s attorney Farwell is charged with one count of killing a witness or victim he faces a minimum of life in prison if convicted Farwell killed burchmore read the FED Sandra burchmore indictment read the US attorney's office for Massachusetts full indictment against Matthew Farwell for a single count of killing a witness or victim Federal investigators have made explosive new allegations in the death Sandra burchmore a woman whose death in Canton Massachusetts in 2021 was initially ruled a suicide in an indictment filed this week in Boston's federal court the US attorney's office for Massachusetts alleges that Matthew Farwell who was at the time a detective in stoen killed birchmore a 23-year-old who was pregnant at the time the indictment says he was the child's father and that they had sexual contact since before she turned 16 she was in the stoton police department's youth Explorer Program since she was 13 on or about February 1 2021 Farwell killed birchmore by strangulation the indictment reads shortly thereafter Farwell staged burchmore's Canton Massachusetts apartment to make it appear as if birchmore had committed suicide critical new information helped lead to a new federal charge alleging that stoen police officer Matthew Farwell killed Sandra burchmore whom he'd had a sexual relationship with as a child and whose death in Canton in 2021 was initially ruled a suicide Sandra burchmore survived years of grooming statutory rape and then sexual violence all at the hands of Matthew Farwell who was employed throughout the relationship as an officer and then detective for the stoon police department acting u s attorney Joshua Levy said at this news conference AG's investigation into Sandra birchmore case very active lawyer says the update on the Massachusetts Attorney General's offices investigation into the pregnant woman's death came at a hearing in a civil wrongful death lawsuit Friday at a hearing in the ongoing wrongful death lawsuit filed in civil court by the estate of Sandra burchmore a lawyer for the Massachusetts Attorney General's office revealed new details about a criminal investigation sharing that it's still ongoing 3 years after the woman's death there is an ongoing investigation it continues to be very active said Lisa Maki General Council for the Massachusetts Attorney General's office in a video appearance in court Friday birchmore died in February 2021 when she was 3 months pregnant her death was ruled a suicide with no foul play involved but a year later stodden's police chief announced that three former police officers had had inappropriate sexual relationships with birchmore one starting when she was underage and while no criminal charges have been filed in the case her estate has filed a civil lawsuit alleging wrongful death negligence negligent supervision negligent retention pain and suffering and emotional distress over what it describes as a yearslong grooming scheme the lawsuit names the officers they've denied the allegations as well as the town and stoen police and Friday's hearing in norick Superior Court was in that case lawyers for the officers argued they would like access to files from the Attorney General's office as they continue to wage a defense against the wrongful death suit we are on track for trial your honor my client has one opportunity to prove his innocence here and the Attorney General's office could go on for years said David by an attorney for one of the officers Maki the lawyer for the Attorney General's office argued that releasing any documents could compromise the ongoing investigation to the extent there is a homicide investigation taking place that the Attorney General's office is not handling it would not do anything to interfere with an ongoing homicide investigation she said the judge didn't rule after the roughly 4minute hearing instead asking Maki to provide more details about the files her office has Within in 30 days the case which stunned the town of Stoten when details were released in 2022 has attracted new attention in recent weeks because of another case playing out in the same court which involves allegations of police misconduct people are upset rightfully so they see what happened in the Karen Reed case and they feel like the same thing is happening in Sandra's case that there is a cover up here said Melissa Barry who runs the justice for Sandra burchmore social media pages