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Former Stoughton officer Matthew Farwell convicted of killing Sandra Birchmore, a witness to his alleged sexual abuse
A federal jury in Boston found Matthew Farwell guilty on both counts Tuesday in the death of Sandra Birchmore, whom prosecutors say he killed to silence her about sexual abuse that began when she was 15. The verdict came a day after jurors reported they were deadlocked.
A federal jury in Boston convicted former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell on both counts Tuesday in the death of Sandra Birchmore, accepting prosecutors' case that he killed her to keep her from exposing years of sexual abuse that began when she was a teenager.
The jury found Farwell, of Easton, guilty of killing a witness or victim and of protection of unborn children. The verdict followed deliberations that had appeared stalled a day earlier, when jurors sent the judge a note saying they were deadlocked. The judge urged them to keep talking, and deliberations resumed Tuesday morning before the panel reached its decision.
Prosecutors alleged that Farwell sexually abused Birchmore starting when she was 15 and killed her to prevent her from revealing the abuse. Birchmore was pregnant at the time of her death, but Farwell was not the father, according to the evidence presented at trial.
The case has drawn intense attention in the region, touching on questions of police accountability and the vulnerability of young people to abuse by those in positions of authority. Farwell's status as a former officer added to the scrutiny.
The two counts on which Farwell was convicted reflect the prosecution's theory that Birchmore was killed as a witness to abuse and that the killing also caused the loss of her unborn child. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.