BOSTON — A federal judge in Boston on Thursday set a trial date for former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell, who faces charges in the 2021 death of 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore.
Farwell was arrested in 2024 and charged with killing a witness or victim in connection with the death of Birchmore.
The judge presiding over the case set a hearing for any motion to dismiss for March 12, 2026, while scheduling the start of Farwell’s trial for Oct. 5, 2026.
“Just to have the dates in place, that means a lot. That’s progress to me,” said Barbara Wright, Birchmore’s cousin. “We’re ready to go. It’s time to get justice for Sandra and her baby.”
Prosecutors allege Farwell murdered Birchmore after she informed him he was the father of her unborn child. He was also a married father of three at the time.
Farwell was one of three Stoughton officers who had an inappropriate relationship with Birchmore when she was a young teen in the Stoughton Police Department’s Explorers Program, according to investigators.
Birchmore’s death was originally ruled a suicide when she was found hanging in her Canton apartment in February 2021. But last year, police announced there was evidence Sandra was killed.
Farwell is accused of staging Birchmore’s death to make it look like she had hung herself.
“Her memory and legacy aren’t what happened to her; that she is teaching the world about what grooming does to a child,” said Melissa Berry, of the group Justice For Sandra Birchmore.
Because of the federal charge, prosecutors could seek the death penalty against Farwell.
The case has drawn widespread attention due to the disturbing allegations and the involvement of law enforcement personnel.
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