New details have emerged in the tragic death of Sandra Birchmore, 22, who was found strangled in her apartment in Canton, Massachusetts, in February 2021. Court documents show that William Farwell, the twin brother of former police officer Matthew Farwell, had a sexual encounter with Birchmore just days before her death, despite knowing she was pregnant with Matthew's child.
Text messages between William, 38, and Birchmore reveal that they had sex in a parking lot near her apartment on January 10, 2021, just 22 days before she was allegedly murdered by Matthew Farwell. The messages suggest that William knew Birchmore was pregnant with his brother's child at the time, as he had learned of the pregnancy in December 2020.
Birchmore was found dead on February 4, 2021, and her death was initially ruled a suicide. However, in August 2024, Matthew Farwell, a former Stoughton Police Officer, was charged with her murder. Investigators believe he staged the scene to make it appear as if Birchmore had taken her own life. Matthew and Birchmore reportedly had a sexual relationship that began when she was a teenager, participating in the police department's youth law-enforcement program.
Both Matthew and William had been counselors in the program when Birchmore joined at just 13 years old. While only Matthew has been charged with having sex with her while she was underage, William, along with Robert Devine, the program's director, has been accused in a wrongful-death lawsuit of molesting her. All three officers resigned from the Stoughton Police Department in 2022 and have denied the accusations against them.
William Farwell has not been criminally charged, but the decertification order that barred him from ever serving as a police officer again stated that he misled investigators about his relationship with Birchmore. Evidence indicates that William had been involved with her for two years, exchanging sexually explicit messages with her since she was 20. He also searched their names in criminal databases multiple times since 2017.
Birchmore was believed to be pregnant with Matthew Farwell's child, though he denied fathering the baby. Investigators recovered text messages between the two, discussing the possibility of having a child. Matthew Farwell was captured on surveillance video visiting Birchmore's apartment shortly before her death. She was not seen alive after his visit, and her body was discovered three days later.
