"This is a travesty of justice," said Barbara Wright, Birchmore's cousin, after the verdict. "It shouldn't have come to this, the state should've done it, and I hope that Michael Morrissey hears me loud and clear when I say that."

Morrissey, who was elected Norfolk district attorney in 2010 and did not seek reelection this year, will be replaced by Djuna Perkins in January. In a statement issued after Farwell's conviction, his office acknowledged the criticism but defended its actions, saying its "ability to prosecute was constrained by the finding of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) that the manner of death was suicide."

That explanation drew a sharp rebuke from Kingston Police Chief Brian Holmes, the former Stoughton deputy chief who oversaw an internal investigation into Farwell and other officers after Birchmore's death. Holmes ultimately referred the case to the FBI after the district attorney declined to prosecute at the state level.

"We all face challenges. I mean, I was pushing on him to do more," Holmes said in an interview. "If I'm pushing on him to do more … It's his obligation to do more if he sees cause to do it."

Holmes recalled a contentious meeting with Morrissey and his first assistant during which he urged them to convene an investigative grand jury. "The sense that I was getting is we are treating it as a suicide and that's it," he said. "I wasn't happy with that. I challenged the DA and the first assistant to hold an investigative grand jury. It got contentious, but I said what you are looking at here is you are looking at the exploitation of a child, possible civil rights violations … He and the first assistant were just not interested in doing an investigative grand jury."

Holmes described the meeting as "very" frustrating and said he believes Morrissey should have brought additional information to the medical examiner's office. "I think that it should've been his obligation to go to the medical examiner and bring the information to them. And I don't think that happened," he said.

During Farwell's trial, the medical examiner testified that when she asked investigators for updates before closing Birchmore's autopsy file, she was told there were none. That response came from Lt. John Fanning, the state police officer who led the state-level investigation. Fanning did not testify at trial and has faced intense public criticism, though Holmes defended him as "a complete professional."

Efforts to reach Morrissey for comment were unsuccessful. A reporter emailed his spokesperson, visited his Canton office and was told the DA was not in, called and left a voicemail on his cellphone without response, and knocked on his home door, where a woman said he would not be home until Saturday. Morrissey has about two months left in office.

When asked whether justice for Birchmore was delayed, Holmes said, "There were some lessons learned. Thank God for the FBI."

The case has also renewed attention on Morrissey's broader record, including his oversight of investigations involving disgraced state trooper Michael Proctor and his low public profile in recent years. For many in the community, the Farwell conviction marks a measure of accountability but leaves lingering questions about the systems that failed Birchmore for so long.