BOSTON — Six witnesses took the stand Tuesday in the trial of Matthew Farwell.
Matthew Farwell is the former Stoughton police officer charged with killing Sandra Birchmore and her unborn baby.
The prosecution alleged Farwell killed Sandra Birchmore and staged her death to look like a suicide so that she would not expose him for his crimes.
But the defense said Farwell was at Birchmore’s apartment to end their relationship, and she took her own life.
Tuesday was the first day of witness testimony.
Stoughton Police Detective Heather Cheever was the first witness to take the stand in the trial.
Cheever told jurors she had known Sandra since 2013 and that she became a mentor to her.
She remembered Sandra Birchmore being devastated by the death of her mother and grandmother, but confirmed to the prosecution that Sandra did not take her own life after those deaths.
Cheever said, however, Birchmore was taken to the hospital once after she started living with her aunt because she said she wanted to hurt herself.
The witness added the hospital visit was protocol, but she did not believe Birchmore was suicidal.
When Cheever learned Birchmore died, she said, “I was upset, beside myself because I didn’t believe it.”
The prosecution asked, “Why didn’t you believe it?”
She responded, “She never expressed to me that she was ever suicidal.”
Cheever was also shown the surveillance video from inside Birchmore’s apartment building of Matthew Farwell, going in and out with a hood and mask on.
Cheever was asked about COVID-19 protocol at the Stoughton Police station and if Farwell abided by it.
“I never saw him with a mask on,” Cheever said.
“Did he make any statement about wearing a mask?,” the prosecution asked.
“That he didn’t care about COVID or wearing a mask,” said Cheever.
Farwell wearing that mask to Birchmore’s apartment has become a point of contention in the trial.
During opening statements, the defense made a point to say Farwell had a face mask on when entering Birchmore’s apartment to conceal his identity and hide his affair.
Because of that statement, the prosecution wants three women Farwell also had affairs with to testify that he never tried to hide behind a mask.
The judge is still considering that motion from the prosecution.
Other witnesses on Tuesday included Birchmore’s former boss Cheryl Carlson.
Carlson said she hired Birchmore in Sharon Public Schools as an instructional assistant.
She described Birchmore’s excitement about becoming a mother, “She ended up telling, I think, anybody that she came in contact with.”
Carlson continued, “Students, staff, everybody knew.”
Carlson testified that Birchmore was oversharing this information and 3rd graders didn’t need to hear about her personal life.
The defense questions Carlson, “She was telling the third graders she was pregnant?”
Carlson replied that Birchmore was.
“She was telling them that she was pregnant by her boyfriend?” the defense asked, which Carlson said she was.
“Did she tell them he was a police officer?”
“I believe she did,” said Carlson.
Carlson, like Cheever, was confused when she learned of Birchmore’s death.
“It didn’t make sense to me because she was so excited to have that baby; she was so determined to have that baby,” said Carlson.
A well-being check was conducted at the Canton Woods apartments when Birchmore didn’t show up to work.
Erin Porter was a property manager at the time.
She first took a call from the police and then met with them when they arrived.
Canton Police Officer Ensley Cotard said he went up to Birchmore’s apartment with two other officers and Porter to check on Birchmore.
When Birchmore didn’t answer, he let dispatch know, then he went and found Birchmore’s car.
Once Officer Cotard keyed into the apartment unit, he said he discovered Birchmore’s body in the bedroom with a duffle bag strap around her neck.
Jurors then saw two images of Birchmore’s body, one from the bedroom door frame and another from inside the bedroom.
Other images included Birchmore’s living room and kitchen.
While the defense had Cotard describe those spaces that he went through, the prosecution asked Officer Cotard if it looked like cat feces were on the ground in the living room.
“Was it clear there was no arrangements for the cats?” the prosecution asked.
“Yeah, very clear,” said Cotard.
There was also a box with keys and sneakers on it.
Cotard said it looked like a Graco baby stroller box.
Carlos Verissimo, who works for Canton Woods apartments and accessed the surveillance footage for police, was the fifth witness on the stand.
The sixth witness was State Police Trooper Matthew Dunne.
Verissimo will return to the stand on Wednesday morning.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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