STOUGHTON, Mass. — Stoughton’s acting police chief says the guilty verdict against former detective Matthew Farwell represents an outcome Sandra Birchmore, her unborn child, and her family have deserved for more than five years.
A federal jury in Boston on Tuesday afternoon found Farwell guilty of killing a witness or victim and causing the death of a child in utero in connection with Birchmore’s death.
“I am grateful for this verdict. It is the outcome Sandra, her unborn child, and her family have deserved for more than five years,” Acting Stoughton Police Chief James O’Connor said in a statement. “The jury heard the evidence and reached a decision, and I fully support it.”
O’Connor described what happened to Birchmore as a “profound betrayal” of the trust placed in law enforcement and sought to distance Farwell from the officers who currently serve the community.
“Matthew Farwell used his position to harm someone the community had put in the care of this department,” O’Connor said. “He no longer wears this badge, and he does not represent the men and women of the Stoughton Police Department, who serve this town with honor every day.”
O’Connor thanked the jurors and prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, along with the FBI, Massachusetts State Police, Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, Chief Donna McNamara and members of the Stoughton Police Department.
He also specifically thanked current and former Stoughton police personnel who testified during the trial, saying their willingness to come forward and provide “honest and forthright testimony” contributed to Farwell’s conviction.
O’Connor then addressed Birchmore’s family directly.
“Your persistence, your courage, and your refusal to accept that this case was closed are why we are here today,” O’Connor said. “Nothing can give Sandra back to you, but I hope this verdict brings some measure of peace.”
The acting chief also pledged continued changes within the department following the case.
“Our department has an obligation to confront what went wrong, and we will continue to do so,” O’Connor said.
He said the department remains committed to transparency, accountability, and reforms intended to protect young people who interact with law enforcement and ensure that concerns are heard and acted upon.
The Stoughton Police Department said it will not comment further on matters that remain before the court, including Farwell’s sentencing.
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