A former Massachusetts police officer is facing charges for allegedly murdering a pregnant woman who had accused him of s*xual abuse and then staging her death to appear as a suicide.
Sandra Birchmore, 23, died in 2021, as previously reported by PEOPLE. The Stoughton, Mass., police department had earlier claimed that three former officers engaged in inappropriate relationships with Birchmore, starting when she was 15.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts has now indicted 38-year-old Matthew Farwell on charges related to killing a witness or victim. Farwell was arrested on Wednesday, August 28, according to the Justice Department.
It is unclear whether Farwell has entered a plea or secured legal representation at this time.
Prosecutors allege that Farwell killed Birchmore to prevent law enforcement from discovering his involvement in or potential commission of federal offenses, as stated in a press release.
Birchmore’s death was initially ruled a suicide. However, new evidence uncovered during the federal investigation led to Farwell being charged. Prosecutors claim that Farwell began a relationship with Birchmore when she was 15, which continued into her adulthood. Birchmore was pregnant with Farwell’s child at the time of her death.
At the start of their relationship, Birchmore was a participant in Stoughton’s Explorers program, where Farwell, then an instructor, interacted with her. Federal authorities allege that Farwell murdered Birchmore in Canton, Mass., on February 1, 2021, shortly after a friend of Birchmore reported the relationship to the Stoughton Police Department.
If convicted, Farwell faces either a mandatory death sentence or life in prison, according to prosecutors.
The Boston Globe reported that Birchmore’s family had engaged Dr. Michael Baden, former chief medical examiner for New York City, to review her cause of death. Baden’s June letter challenged the initial suicide ruling, suggesting that she had been strangled.
Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara commented in June, expressing outrage over the injustices done to Birchmore. “Sandra idolized police officers and what policing stood for in America, and she was victimized as a result,” McNamara said.
Currently, the other two former officers accused by Stoughton police of inappropriate conduct with Birchmore are not facing charges.
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