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FBI agent returns to stand as Farwell murder trial enters seventh day
Defense questioning of FBI agent Heidi Kelsch resumed Tuesday in the trial of former Stoughton officer Matthew Farwell, who is charged with killing Sandra Birchmore. Testimony about DNA evidence showed Birchmore’s unborn child was not Farwell’s, despite her telling at least 85 people he was the father.
An FBI agent returned to the witness stand Tuesday as the murder trial of former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell entered its seventh day, with defense attorney Joanne Daley continuing to question the agent about text exchanges between Farwell and Sandra Birchmore.
The testimony follows evidence presented Monday about the pair’s messages and digital records. FBI agent Heidi Kelsch testified that Birchmore had told at least 85 people Farwell was the father of her unborn child, but DNA testing showed he was not.
Farwell is charged with killing Birchmore, who was pregnant, at her Canton apartment in early 2021 and making her death appear to be a suicide. Prosecutors allege he killed her after she told him she was pregnant and said he was the father. Farwell has not been convicted, and the allegations are being tested in court.
The case also centers on Farwell’s relationship with Birchmore, who prosecutors say was 15 when he, as a police department volunteer with the Explorers program, began grooming and sexually exploiting her. Prosecutors allege the sexual relationship continued after she became an adult.
Tuesday was the fifth day of testimony in a trial expected to last about five weeks. The federal proceedings are not being recorded on courtroom video.