A jury in Boston has been shown graphic photographs of Sandra Birchmore's body, which prosecutors allege were staged to appear as a suicide by the former police officer accused of her murder. The images were presented Tuesday during the federal trial of Matthew Farwell, who is accused of sexually abusing Birchmore as a minor and subsequently killing her when she became pregnant.
Birchmore, 23, was found dead in her Canton apartment on February 4, 2021. The photos displayed to the jury depicted Birchmore, with her pregnant belly exposed, in her sparsely furnished apartment. A ligature was visible, and her face appeared discolored, with bruising on her abdomen.
During the testimony of the officer who discovered Birchmore, some jurors appeared visibly distressed. Canton police Officer Ensley Cotard told the court he observed a deceased body in the bedroom but noted no immediate signs of a struggle. He stated he was responding to a welfare check after Birchmore failed to report for work.
Prosecutors contend that Farwell, 40, strangled Birchmore three days earlier, on February 1, 2021. They allege he acted out of fear that Birchmore would reveal their affair to his wife, who gave birth to their third child the day after Birchmore's death. While the couple believed Birchmore was carrying Farwell's child, subsequent DNA testing indicated he was not the father, according to prosecutors.
Farwell allegedly began a sexual relationship with Birchmore seven years prior, when she was 15 and enrolled in a Stoughton Police program that he helped oversee. This relationship reportedly continued into Birchmore's adulthood. Prosecutors claim Birchmore demanded Farwell impregnate her, threatening to expose their affair if he refused. They allege Farwell responded with hostility when she later texted him about her pregnancy.
Conversely, Farwell's defense attorneys suggested that he visited Birchmore's apartment on the day of her death to end their relationship, and that she subsequently took her own life after he left.
Testimony from individuals who knew Birchmore indicated her excitement about the pregnancy. Cheryl Carlson, a former assistant principal at East Elementary School in Sharon where Birchmore worked, testified that the notion of Birchmore committing suicide was inconsistent with her character and her expressed joy about the impending child. Carlson stated Birchmore confided in her about difficulties with the baby's father but remained resolute in her desire to have the child.
Erin Porter, the property manager of the apartment building where Birchmore resided, testified that Birchmore had moved in only a few months prior, in December 2020, and was