BOSTON — Matthew Farwell, a former Stoughton police officer, is seeking to move his trial to Rhode Island.
Farwell was arrested and indicted on a federal charge of killing a witness or victim in August 2024 in the 2021 death of Birchmore when she was 23.
A superseding indictment filed in October revealed that Farwell has additionally been charged with violation of the protection of an unborn child.
Prosecutors have accused Farwell of murdering Birchmore after she informed him he was the father of her unborn child. He was also a married father of three at the time.
Birchmore was found dead at her apartment in Canton.
Farwell is accused of staging Birchmore’s death to make it look like a suicide.
The trial is scheduled to start in October, but Farwell’s attorneys will argue on Tuesday that he cannot receive a fair trial in Massachusetts.
Farwell and Birchmore met while Birchmore was a member of the Stoughton Police Department’s young explorers program.
Prosecutors have countered Farwell’s request to move the trial by referencing the case of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bomber, who was not granted his trial to be moved despite similar concerns.
Farwell has pleaded not guilty to both deaths.
In December of 2025, federal prosecutors announced they will not seek the death penalty in the case against Farwell.
The judge presiding over the case has scheduled the start of Farwell’s trial for October 5.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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