Trooper pressed over handling of death investigation in Matthew Farwell trial

BOSTON — Stoughton Police Sgt. Robert Kuhn will resume testimony in the trial of Matthew Farwell when court resumes Thursday morning.

Kuhn was the third and final witness on the stand Wednesday.

Other witnesses included toxicologist Alicia Zimmermann with the State Police Crime Lab and State Police Trooper Matthew Dunne.

Trooper Dunne was on the stand from 9 a.m. until almost three in the afternoon.

Dunne is one of the Troopers who investigated Sandra Bichmore’s death as part of Norfolk CPACP with Massachusetts State Police.

He was called to Birchmore’s apartment after her body was found in her bedroom.

Wednesday, he was questioned about how he conducted the death investigation; many times he pointed toward his supervisor, Sgt. Fanning, as the person making decisions in that investigation.

Trooper Dunne told the prosecution he did not call Birchmore’s death in as a “suspicious death,” and he agreed with the defense that he observed no signs of a struggle in her room.

Dunne interviewed several people, including Birchmore’s co-worker at Sharon Public Schools.

Prosecutor Brian Fogerty asked, “What did Principal Reynolds tell you about Matthew

Farwell?” That Matthew Farwell would have more information,” said Dunne. Dunne said that Birchmore’s coworkers allege a 35-year-old Stoughton Police detective was the father of her baby. Trooper Dunne and Sgt. Fanning then met with Matthew Farwell in a Stoughton elementary school parking lot.

Dunne called this a tactical decision to prevent Farwell from deciding not to talk or lawyering up.

Fogerty: “Who recorded this interview?”

Dunne: “It was not recorded.”

Fogerty: “Why not?”

Dunne: “At that time we did not have body-worn cameras…”

Fogerty: “Did you take notes?”

Dunne: “No”

Fogerty: “Who took notes?”

Dunne: “Neither of us.”

Dunne also told the prosecution and juror that when they talked to Farwell, “The account he provided was that he went over there to break up with her.”

Boston 25 Legal Expert Elyse Hershon weighs in. “There were no body-worn cameras at the time, okay. But to not have taken notes and to do it outside the police station at an elementary school parking lot, it seems like they were trying to keep this confidential,” said Hershon.

Dunne also said he later learned that Farwell lied about how long he and Birchmore were intimate and how their relationship started.

The prosecution asked, “After that interview did you go to the Stoughton police department and interview the defendant’s coworkers?”

“That same day?” Dunne asked.

“After that interview,” said prosecutor Fogerty.

“No...” Dunne replied.

Hershon said the prosecution’s questions for Trooper Dunne differ from a typical trial.

“So this is a total role reversal, right? So as a defense attorney and as a trial attorney myself. Usually we’re trying to poke holes in the police investigation.” Hershon continued, “This first trooper determined it was not a suspicious death, meaning not a homicide. And he determined that it was most likely a suicide. This actually hurts the prosecution’s case, and the defense wants to bolster this trooper because it supports their theory of the case.”

Farwell’s defense is that Sandra Birchmore died by suicide.

During cross-examination, the defense brought up Birchmore’s past suicide attempt, where she swallowed pills and a suicide note from 2017 after her mother passed away.

The defense also reiterated that Farwell was not the father of the baby.

They wanted Dunne to say Farwell was correct when he told Bichmore that.

Defense attorney Kimberly Stevens asked, “He was not the baby’s father, was he?”

“DNA testing ruled that out,” Dunne said.

Along with Sgt. Kuhn, former Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara may take the stand Thursday. A friend of Birchmore, Leslie Davis, and State Police Trooper Nicholas Guarino are also set to testify soon in the trial.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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