What We Know
Sandra Birchmore Trial: What We Know
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Sandra Birchmore trial: what we know. The federal trial over the February 2021 death of Sandra Birchmore, 23, opened in Boston on Oct. 9, 2026. As of Nov. 9, 2026, the jury is deliberating; no verdict has been reported. Former Stoughton police detective Matthew Farwell is charged with killing a witness or victim and causing the death of an unborn child. He has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Prosecutors say he killed her; the defense says he did not, and that she died by suicide.
What's confirmed
Opening statements and closing arguments are each side's account, not evidence.
- February 2021Sandra Birchmore, 23, dies in her apartment in Canton, Massachusetts. She was eight to 10 weeks pregnant. (WBUR; U.S. Attorney's Office)
- May 2021the state medical examiner's office rules her death a suicide. (WBUR; Boston.com)
- August 2024Farwell is arrested and charged. Oct. 28, 2025: a second count, causing the death of an unborn child, is added. (U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts)
- April 2026the medical examiner amends the death certificate; the manner of death is now listed as undetermined. (WBUR; Boston.com)
- Federal prosecutors say he began abusing her when she was a teenager in a police youth program. He has pleaded not guilty and, in court records, maintains she took her own life. (WBUR)
- Oct. 9, 2026a jury is sworn in U.S. District Court in Boston and both sides give opening statements. Assistant U.S. Attorney Torey Cummings: "He killed her so that she couldn't talk about what he had done to her." (Boston.com) Defense attorney Kimberly Stevens: "Matthew Farwell did not kill Sandra Birchmore." (CBS Boston) Prosecutors say there are more than 40,000 messages between the two. (CBS Boston)
- Oct. 28, 2026the prosecution rests its case. (The Boston Globe; Boston 25 News)
- Nov. 4, 2026the defense rests. Farwell does not testify. (The Boston Globe; WJAR)
- Nov. 6, 2026closing arguments. Prosecutor Brian Fogerty says Farwell killed her to "end any possibility she would expose him"; defense attorney Kimberly Stevens says, "Matthew didn't kill her." (WBUR) The jury of eight men and four women gets the case and deliberates for just over three hours before the weekend. (WBUR; The Boston Globe)
- Nov. 9, 2026jurors resume deliberations. (The Boston Globe; CBS News)
What we don't know / what's disputed
- How she died: the prosecution says she was killed; the defense says she died by suicide. The medical examiner's current ruling is "undetermined."
- What jurors make of the expert testimony both sides are expected to present.
- The verdict.
What happens next
The jury is deliberating before Chief U.S. District Judge Denise Casper (The Boston Globe; CBS News). No verdict has been reported as of Nov. 9, 2026. Farwell is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. We will post a dated UPDATE at the verdict.
Chapters
- 0:00Who Sandra Birchmore was
- 0:45Sandra Birchmore case: the federal charges
- 1:15Birchmore trial: prosecution vs. defense
- 1:55Sandra Birchmore trial: where it stands
Sources
- CBS Boston (Penny Kmitt, Kristina Rex, Neal Riley), Oct. 9, 2026cbsnews.com/boston/news/matthew-farwell-sandra-birchmore-trial-opening-statements/
- Boston.com (Ross Cristantiello), Oct. 9, 2026boston.com/news/crime/2026/10/09/opening-statements-prosecutors-allege-matthew-farwell-killed-sandra-birchmore-to-silence-her-while-defense-says-she-was-suicidal/
- WBUR (Patrick Madden), Oct. 6, 2026wbur.org/news/2026/10/06/murder-stoughton-cop-police-trial-murder-suicide-massachusetts-pregnant
- The Boston Globe, Oct. 9, 2026bostonglobe.com/2026/10/09/metro/matthew-farwell-trial-opening-statements/
- The Boston Globe, Oct. 28, 2026bostonglobe.com/2026/10/28/metro/prosecution-rested-matthew-farwell-trial/
- Boston 25 News, Oct. 28, 2026boston25news.com/news/local/prosecution-rests-case-matthew-farwell-trial/EJDUMFIXKZFQXEYU6YFWA6CWFM/
- The Boston Globe, Nov. 4, 2026bostonglobe.com/2026/11/04/metro/defense-rested-matthew-farwell-trial/
- WJAR, Nov. 4, 2026turnto10.com/news/local/sandra-birchmore-case-matthew-farwell-trial-federal-court-defense-rests-witnesses-boston-massachusetts-november-4-2026
- WBUR (Patrick Madden), Nov. 6, 2026wbur.org/news/2026/11/06/matthew-farwell-trial-sandra-birchmore-death-closing-statements
- The Boston Globe, Nov. 9, 2026bostonglobe.com/2026/11/09/metro/sandra-birchmore-jury-deliberations/
- CBS News, updated Nov. 9, 2026cbsnews.com/news/matthew-farwell-trial-sandra-birchmore-key-moments/
- U.S. Attorney's Office, D. Mass., Oct. 28, 2025justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/former-stoughton-police-officer-indicted-allegedly-causing-death-his-victims-unborn-baby
- Docket: United States v. Farwell, 1:24-cr-10259 (D. Mass.)courtlistener.com/docket/69102719/united-states-v-farwell/
The record · as of Nov. 9, 2026
How we know
Primary records are court and agency documents; reporting is news coverage we checked against them. How we report.
What happens next
- Farwell trial: expected to wrap ~5 weeks (NBC Boston); check for verdict, then follow-up
- Sentencing: Matthew Farwell (US v. Farwell, D. Mass.) - post a dated UPDATE + sentencing card
Updates and corrections
Photo: 4300streetcar / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
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