The Betrayal of Sandra Birchmore: Groomed, Pregnant, and Silenced by the Badge

Federal prosecutors allege the staged murder of Sandra Birchmore, who was found dead in her Canton, MA, apartment in 2021, believed to be linked to an officer accused of grooming her since she was 15.

Sandra Birchmore was just twenty-three years old when she was found dead inside her Canton, Massachusetts apartment on February 4, 2021. She was three months pregnant. For years, her death was ruled a suicide. But federal prosecutors now say it was murder staged by the police officer who groomed her since she was a child.

Sandra had dreamed of becoming a police officer herself. At the age of twelve, she joined the Stoughton Police Explorers Program, a mentorship initiative for kids interested in law enforcement. It was there that she met Matthew Farwell, then a twenty-seven-year-old officer who would later become the central figure in both her life and her death. By 2012, Farwell had connected with her on Facebook. And by April 2013, when Sandra was just fifteen years old, their relationship had turned sexual.

According to the federal complaint, Farwell took her virginity that spring and continued exploiting her well into her adult years. Thousands of text messages, later reviewed by investigators, reveal disturbing details: Farwell bragged about their first sexual encounter when she was a minor, pressured her into violent sexual roleplay, referenced choking and rape fantasies, and repeatedly instructed her to delete conversations to keep his secret safe. His twin brother, William Farwell, and another officer, Robert Devine, were also found to have had inappropriate and sexually explicit communications with Sandra. What should have been a path into a promising future became a grooming ground for exploitation, created by the very men sworn to protect her.

The exploitation went far beyond inappropriate messages. Farwell often met Sandra while he was on duty, using taxpayer-paid time to further their relationship. His payroll was still processing direct deposit transfers during encounters, a fact later cited by federal prosecutors as part of a wire-fraud scheme under color of law. Sandra was emotionally isolated, manipulated, and abused for years, her trust turned against her in ways that left her vulnerable to further harm.

By late 2020, the dynamic between Sandra and Farwell escalated. In December, Sandra texted him ultrasound images, confirming she was pregnant. Instead of offering support, Farwell erupted in anger. In one message, he told her directly, “I wish you would die.” Friends and her therapist later reported that his violence intensified — shoving her, putting her in headlocks, and seizing control of her phone. The pregnancy represented exposure: his marriage, his career, and his crimes all risked being revealed. The unborn child was not just a baby; it was a threat to everything Farwell was hiding.

On January 20, 2021, one of Sandra’s friends called the Stoughton Police Department to report the inappropriate relationship between her and Farwell. Instead of launching an investigation, the employee who took the call told Farwell himself. According to the complaint, he was furious, texting Sandra almost immediately to accuse her of betrayal. What should have been a lifeline of protection turned into a trigger that may have hastened her death.

Just days later, Farwell had new access. On January 24, Sandra went to Walmart and copied a key to her apartment, texting Farwell that she had done it. She also re-sent him her building’s front door PIN code on January 29. In other messages, she admitted he had looked through her closet and bathroom as though preparing, scouting the apartment, and cementing his control.

The night of February 1, 2021, is laid out minute by minute in the complaint. At 5:01 p.m., Sandra was captured on surveillance accepting a DoorDash order. At 5:33, she was last seen entering the lobby with a snow brush. At 9:10, she texted Farwell: “door is open.” Four minutes later, at 9:14, surveillance recorded Farwell entering the building wearing a hoodie and a medical mask. At 9:18, Sandra’s phone locked for the last time, recording only a black screenshot. At 9:40, Apple Health data logged her final eight steps. By 9:43, Farwell was on camera leaving the apartment. Sandra’s phone was never used again. It ran out of battery on February 3, one day before her body was discovered.

On February 4, neighbors requested a welfare check. Police entered Sandra’s apartment and found her dead, seated upright with a duffel bag strap looped around her neck. The Medical Examiner’s office ruled her death a suicide in May 2021. But her apartment told a different story. Half-finished laundry sat nearby. A stroller remained in its unopened box. A handmade sign taped to the wall read “Congratulations, you’re going to be a father,” with an ultrasound image attached. Even her cats had been left alone without care. A broken flamingo necklace, tangled with her hair, lay on the floor.

Independent forensic analysis later contradicted the official ruling. Dr. William Smock, a forensic pathologist, reviewed the case and determined that Sandra’s fractured hyoid bone was not consistent with a seated, partial-suspension hanging. He noted petechiae in her eyes and mucous membranes, a buckle-shaped imprint across her chest, and abrasions on her nose all signs of asphyxia and suffocation. The broken necklace suggested a struggle had taken place. His conclusion was homicide by asphyxia, not suicide.

In September 2022, Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara released the findings of an eighteen-month internal investigation. She publicly condemned the conduct of Matthew Farwell, his brother William, and Robert Devine, describing it as a “sustained and deliberate combination of lies, deceit, and treachery.” She recommended that they be permanently decertified as officers. Her department’s own records confirmed that Sandra had been manipulated, groomed, and betrayed by the badge she once admired.

On August 28, 2024, federal prosecutors formally indicted Matthew Farwell. The charges: killing a witness and victim to silence her. Prosecutors argue that he staged her death as a suicide to prevent her from exposing years of statutory rape, civil rights violations, and payroll fraud. If convicted, he faces life in prison or the death penalty. Farwell pled not guilty. His trial is expected in 2025. In a twist, DNA testing later revealed that he was not the father of Sandra’s unborn child. But prosecutors maintain that the exposure of his abuse and on-duty misconduct gave him all the motive he needed to silence her.

Sandra Birchmore’s death has become a rallying cry. Her family never believed she had taken her own life. Her friends and teachers described her as passionate, loyal, and funny. She was preparing to be a mother, still holding onto her dream of helping others. Now, her story represents a systemic failure, a warning of what happens when institutions ignore grooming, silence whistleblowers, and protect predators in uniform.

Sandra wanted to wear the badge. Instead, the badge betrayed her. And with Matthew Farwell facing trial, the question remains: will her story finally get the justice she deserves?