Local
FBI examiner details Sandra Birchmore’s phone activity in Farwell trial
An FBI digital-forensics examiner testified that Birchmore’s phone was last unlocked at 9:13 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2021, and moved about six meters later that evening. The testimony came as jurors heard more about the investigation into her death and former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell’s electronic devices.
An FBI digital-forensics examiner testified Friday about electronic evidence in the federal murder trial of Matthew Farwell, including activity recorded on Sandra Birchmore’s phone on the night she died in 2021.
Christopher Beckstrom, an FBI master digital forensic examiner, told jurors Birchmore’s phone was last unlocked at 9:13 p.m. on Feb. 1. The device moved about six meters at approximately 9:40 p.m., he testified. Beckstrom also described examining Birchmore’s MacBook and iPhone and reviewing searches on one of Farwell’s electronic devices.
Investigators used a Facebook search warrant to obtain a large volume of data, which was exported to a spreadsheet so messages could be arranged chronologically, Beckstrom said. He explained that text messages can be stored in different locations on a device depending on how they were sent.
The testimony was part of the fifth day of Farwell’s trial in federal court. Prosecutors accuse the former Stoughton police officer of strangling Birchmore at her Canton apartment in early 2021 and staging her death as a suicide. They allege he killed her after she told him she was pregnant and that he was the father; DNA testing later showed he was not the father of the unborn child. Farwell has pleaded not guilty.
Birchmore had known Farwell through a police explorers program. Prosecutors allege he used his position to groom and sexually exploit her when she was 15, and that their sexual relationship continued into her adulthood.
Earlier Friday, former Stoughton Police Deputy Chief Brian Holmes continued his testimony under cross-examination. Holmes said Massachusetts State Police Lt. John Fanning told him and Police Chief Donna McNamara that Farwell had been at Birchmore’s apartment before they told Farwell they wanted to speak with him. Holmes also testified that he was told to ensure Birchmore’s laptop was not connected to Wi-Fi during its review.
McNamara testified Thursday about the department’s internal investigation into Birchmore’s death and Farwell’s relationship with her. Birchmore’s death was initially ruled a suicide. McNamara, who is on paid leave from the department, announced findings from the internal investigation in 2022.
The trial is expected to last about five weeks. Video is not permitted in the courtroom because the case is being tried in federal court.