The jury sent a note to the judge saying, "We are in a deadlock it looks like will not change anytime soon." The panel was sent home for the day after deliberations began Friday in U.S. District Court in Boston.

Matthew Farwell, of Easton, is charged with two counts: killing a witness or victim, and protection of unborn children. Prosecutors allege that Farwell began sexually abusing Birchmore when she was 15 and killed her in 2021 to prevent her from cooperating with authorities. They further allege he tried to stage her death as a suicide.

Birchmore was pregnant at the time of her death, but prosecutors have said Farwell was not the father. The second charge relates to the unborn child.

In the courtroom Monday, Birchmore's friends and family members were seen crying, while the defense team huddled at its table and prosecutors sat stone-faced, according to a reporter in the room.

Farwell, a former Stoughton police officer, pleaded not guilty to the charges in August 2024. The case has drawn intense local attention, raising questions about how allegations of sexual abuse by an officer against a teenager were handled before Birchmore's death.

The deadlock means the case could end in a mistrial if the jury cannot reach a unanimous verdict. The judge is expected to give additional instructions Tuesday, a standard step when a jury reports an impasse. Deliberations will resume that morning.