From Police Program to Pregnancy: The Full Story of Sandra Birchmore’s Homicide | Forensic Files

What I'm about to brief you on is something deeply troubling to me as a human being
and as a police chief. On February 4th, 2021, 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore was found deceased in her apartment
in Canton. [music] What I am here to talk about today is her life and how she was failed by,
manipulated by, and used by people of authority that she admired and trusted right up until her final days.
Ms. Birchmore was a vulnerable person who had one constant in her life since childhood.
Her unwavering admiration of police officers, of those serving the military, people in uniform,
people with oaths and duties to protect and serve. The admiration led her to form relationships
with men who were willing to take advantage of her. I stand before you today as a civil
servant who is heartbroken >> [clears throat] >> and incensed by what has transpired
and who pledges to this that this chapter in the Stoughton Police Department and the town of Stoughton
is over. It must never repeat. The revolving door is closed. There are so many stories we tell that
involve corruption, cover-ups, or just downright incompetence or negligence that it makes me lose complete faith
[music] in the system. A system that is put in place to protect us. And doing the show for as long as I have, I've
seen a lot more bad than good. The problems are systemic and at times I've even caught myself thinking like, what
is the point? Like we might as well just give up because the problems are so big
and have been there for so long that maybe I'm the delusional one and this is just how the world is, evil. And the
evil is so like deeply rooted that we're never going to win or never going to make a difference.
But then, when I need it the most, I get a glimpse [music] of the good ones. The
people who are fighting from the inside to make things better and fair and just.
People who believe in right and wrong and know that no one is above the law. >> [music]
>> And those people give me hope all over again to keep fighting myself. And I felt all of those feelings when covering
today's story. Despair that an entire agency could look the other way when so much evidence was
at their fingertips suggesting [music] a boy in blue might have killed a young woman to protect his reputation.
And then this fire to kick ass and take names [music] and get behind those people like Donna McNamara, the chief of
the Stoughton PD who you just heard at the top. She didn't just sit back [music] and let it be. She found her own
way to expose the truth and she lit a spark that other good people out there doing the right thing [music] fanned
into a flame to get justice for Sandra Birchmore. So let me tell [music] you how that
happened. February 4th, 2021, 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore was found dead in her Canton,
Massachusetts apartment. Police discovered her body while responding to a welfare check requested by someone at
the school where she worked because she hadn't shown up in days. Now, Sandra was found in a seated
position on the floor by her bedroom closet with this [music] duffel bag strap wrapped tightly around her neck
and fixed to the handle of the closet door. The Massachusetts State Police didn't note any signs of forced entry to
her apartment. The door was actually locked and they had to get a key from the property manager just to get [music]
in. And once they were inside, they didn't see any signs of a struggle at all in the bedroom or anywhere else in
the apartment. The walls didn't have any indentations or scuff marks and there were no drag marks on the floor or
anything like that even though the apartment was cluttered with baby items still in boxes for the child that Sandra
was 8 to 10 [music] weeks pregnant with. Nothing seemed to be knocked over or moved and surveillance footage from her
apartment complex's lobby shows Sandra coming and going [music] alone on Monday, February 1st, which is the last
day she appears on camera and the day that officials believe she died. So, the suicide determination came quickly. Even
before the medical examiner's official ruling, all the Canton PD reports discussed this case as a suicide.
And the Massachusetts State Police seem to agree. Cuz I'm sure the more they learned about
Sandra, like it just began to confirm their theory >> [music] >> because she grew up struggling. Dad
wasn't in the picture, mom had chronic health challenges often times not being able to work so they struggled to make
ends meet. And from a young age, Sandra sort of took on the role of caretaker. And then in 2016, when Sandra was just
19 years old, her mom died of a stroke and then just weeks later her grandmother passed away, too.
According to an unnamed source in a Boston Globe article, after these back-to-back tragedies, Sandra began
[music] expressing suicidal thoughts in her journal entries. And she tried living with other family
members after this but she never really had that stable home base. And there was an instance like 8 or 9
months before her death where Sandra got in a fight with the family member that she was living with and stormed out.
That person called 911 concerned that Sandra might be at risk of hurting herself.
Now, at the time of her death, she was about 2 and 1/2 months pregnant with what investigators would quickly find
out was a married man's baby. So, it must have all just been too much. How sad. And when a pathologist from the
office of the chief medical examiner agrees and rules this case as suicide, that's that.
And there is a world where it would have ended right there. But not this one. Not this time.
You see, even though Canton PD was the agency originally called and Massachusetts State Police eventually
took over, the Stoughton Police Department opened an internal affairs investigation the day after Sandra was
[music] found. >> And where in relation to all this is Stoughton? It's just a town over from
Canton. But the reason they're in the mix is because of who Sandra's baby daddy allegedly was.
You see, Chief Donna McNamara heard from the Massachusetts State Police that one
of her officers, a man named Matthew Farwell, may have been having an affair with Sandra. [music]
And that would have violated department policies because I mean, put him married
with kids aside, Matthew Farwell was an officer who worked with their police explorers program.
And Sandra, in her youth, was an explorer. And Brett, I know you know all about the program cuz it came up in our
live show but for the newbies out there, do you want to give them the lowdown? Yeah, this will be very surface level
but the explorers program is basically like an extracurricular program run by local law enforcement agencies and it's
open to anyone from the ages of [snorts] like what, 6th grade to 20 years old who are interested in joining law
enforcement one day. It's sort of like a junior police academy. They wear little
uniforms, learn about investigations, do ride-alongs, even apparently search for
evidence sometimes. [laughter] Usually the program is led by actual officers from the local department so
the kids who sign up get really [music] close to them which can be a really great thing in some cases but
potentially really dangerous in others. >> You are correct. Okay, so I was about to
ask if the state police knew about this but if they're the ones who told the chief in Stoughton, then they had to
have. >> Yeah, they did. And they were looking into it, too. Despite many files that
refer to Sandra's death as a suicide, it does seem like they were still doing some legwork, like checking boxes,
making sure they didn't miss anything big like the affair with a married officer.
>> Right. And they even talked to him, collected his and Sandra's phone data. And in
their interview with him, which takes place on February 6th in a school parking lot for some reason,
Matthew admits that he was at Sandra's apartment that night. I'm sorry, what? >> Yeah, so remember the surveillance video
that showed her apartment lobby, right? She's coming and going. >> coming and going by herself.
>> Mhm. Well, it didn't just show her coming and going. And just a quick FYI, the footage was found to be 13 minutes
off so the times I'm going to be telling you have been adjusted for accuracy but
basically, Sandra gets home early from school because they had closed for a snow day on the 1st. A few hours later,
after 5:00 p.m., she's caught on camera again picking up a food delivery. And then at 5:31 p.m., she's seen one last
time stepping outside briefly to brush the snow off her car and then heading back upstairs.
And that's it for Sandra. But they did look at the rest of the footage to see if there was [music] anyone else
suspicious on it. And the maintenance supervisor at the apartment building tells officers that he recognizes
everybody who enters the lobby that night except for one person. [music] This tall, burly man wearing boots,
jeans, a black jacket with a hood up, and what looks like a COVID mask which almost entirely covers his face.
Now, he entered the building at 9:14 p.m. and then left at 9:43. And the police report notes that the man
wasn't wearing gloves and appeared to be white. And that's Matthew. I mean, we know now that it was Matthew
because he is admitting it to police on the 6th, but at the time it's a little hard to tell what they knew because this
part of the police report is pretty heavily redacted. All I know is that one of the building worker says that they
had seen this guy with Sandra before, but they didn't know who he was. And the leasing manager starts giving
them at that point some information about a police officer [music] that Sandra had been in a relationship with
and how there was something that he was unhappy about that Sandra was nervous about. But honestly, it truly is almost
impossible to make sense of this person's account with all of the redactions to the file.
>> Right, you're kind of just like barely able to kind of almost connect the dots.
>> Right. So, they were probably suspicious, but now they like know, now it was him,
right? And his story seems to again confirm their original hypothesis because he says that he met Sandra in
the Explorer program. She was 13 when she joined, he was 24, but he says that like nothing untoward happened. Matthew
says that he knew Sandra had a troubled life and he felt bad for her, so he would like keep tabs on her over the
years. But according to him, the relationship didn't become sexual until early 2020 when Sandra would have been
21. And that only happened because he says he got drunk one night and quote ended
up meeting up with her and having sex. And then he says that they had sex two or three more times after that with the
last time being in October of 2020. So, does he say that they were like dating? Like, how did he classify the
relationship? Were they together? Well, so like I said, so he's married with two
kids at that time. So, at least on his end this was very much not a public like relationship situation. But he goes on
to say that in December of 2020, Sandra told him that she was pregnant and that he was the father. Now, in his
interview, Matthew says that that wasn't possible and that the timeline didn't make any sense and just basically
adamantly denies that he was the father of Sandra's unborn child. >> Okay, so then cut to the chase, Matthew.
Why are you at her apartment the day she died? Yeah, so he says that that night he asked Sandra if he could come over
because he wanted to end things with her once and for all. He says that he hadn't
seen her in about a week because he'd been trying to distance himself, but that was before he learned that Sandra
was now telling people that he was the father of her child. So, he went over that night and said that he told Sandra,
quote, she was crazy and that there was no way he could be the father of her baby based on her timeline and that he
was just done with her. He said that the two of them kind of got into this pretty nasty argument, not
anything like yelling or physical, but just like really tense. And before he left, he told her it was
really over and he was blocking her on everything, which he did. And Matthew says Sandra was definitely upset, but
that she didn't say anything about wanting to hurt herself. And he told police that she was very much alive and
standing in the kitchen when he [music] walked out. Now, they asked him to take a polygraph and submit to a DNA test,
presumably to verify his claim about the baby not being his. But none of those things end up
happening because Matthew gets an attorney who steps in. And this attorney, Patrick Hanley,
actually writes a letter to an MSP sergeant saying that these requests don't make any sense for the
investigation of a witness, which is what MSP had said [music] Matthew was. I actually have a quote from Patrick. It
says, "I advise my client to decline these requests and the request for further interview that accompanied them. I did
so because they are far outside the norm for mere witnesses in an investigation.
I was a prosecutor for 14 years and participated in hundreds of interviews with state police detectives like
yourself. I cannot recall one seeking a polygraph interview. And I can only recall seeking DNA of persons that the
investigators and I considered targets. Mr. Farwell has already provided highly personal information. In my opinion,
providing DNA is a step too far." End quote. The lawyer also underscores that Matthew
had nothing to do with Sandra's death, that he never encouraged her to harm herself or believed that she might. And
according to him, Sandra's death by suicide was a complete shock to Matthew. The thing Matthew does comply with is
turning over his phone, but he warns that he deleted all the communications with Sandra. Okay, that's fishy, right?
Like, they see that that's at least sus, right? They don't say. We just have a report that is very black
and white and I I even brought this one. So, it just says, "On February 9th, 2021, Matthew Farwell consented to a
data extraction of his personal iPhone 11, which was then extracted by Trooper Nick Garrino. On April 26th, 2021, I
received Matthew's work cell phone from Stoughton Police Department. Through Matthew's attorney, consent was given
for a data extraction, which was performed by Trooper Nick Garrino. I analyzed both of these phones and did
not find any communication with Sandra Birchmore. Matt has said in a previous interview that he had deleted all
communications with Sandra. So, there's no like, oh, we think this was weird or not.
>> well, didn't see anything. Right. So, Trooper Nick Garrino went through this,
we know this, but another state police sergeant had started combing through Sandra's laptop that was collected from
her apartment. >> The other end of the communication. >> Right. And so, he finds in that
thousands of text messages between Sandra and Matthew [music] in the 12 months or so before her death.
Now, the state police write that the text messages make it clear that Matthew and Sandra were in a sexual
relationship, but they concluded that there was nothing threatening [music] at all.
So, they must just be assuming that he deleted the messages to hide the affair. Nothing murdery here, so
case closed, right? Wrong. Cuz Stoughton PD was running their internal affairs investigation
alongside this one. >> [music] >> And in reviewing over 32,000 messages between Sandra and Matthew in the 14
months leading up to her death, they see a far more disturbing picture of Sandra's case.
Some cases fade from headlines. Some never made it there to begin with. I'm Ashley Flowers and on my podcast [music]
The Deck, I tell you the stories of cold cases featured on playing cards distributed in prisons designed to spark
new leads and bring long overdue justice because these stories deserve to be heard and the loved ones of these
victims still deserve answers. Are you ready to be dealt in? Listen to The Deck now wherever you get your podcasts.
So, the chief of Stoughton PD, Donna McNamara, opened that internal affairs investigation into Matthew Farwell the
day after Sandra was found because she had heard from MSP about Matthew potentially having an illicit affair
with Sandra violating department policies. So, she put Matthew on paid leave starting February 24th. And again,
just to be 100% clear, her internal investigation was only meant to look into Matthew's misconduct, [music]
not Sandra's death. >> Right. Chief McNamara and MSP had an understanding that MSP basically still
maintained the jurisdiction over any criminal [music] activity, even like anything that comes up in the internal
investigation. And if the chief found any criminal culpability, she would basically pass all of that off to MSP.
So, like, sure, fine, whatever. That's the deal. >> not looking for it, but if she sees it,
she'll hand it over. >> Yeah, I'm not going to take it. So, her team starts looking at the phone
data and the laptop that was previously analyzed by state police Trooper Nick Garrino. [music] And these messages,
which appear in federal and court documents, don't only suggest that Sandra and Matthew's sexual relationship
began way before he originally said, but also that Matthew had disturbing sexual
fantasies involving [music] violence against women, choking, incest, pedophilia, necrophilia, and rape.
And I want everyone to hear some of these messages so you guys can get an idea of the tone of the communication
between Sandra and Matthew. So, I'm going to have a voice actor reading them because they are really disturbing, so
like fair warning to everyone listening. >> [music] >> And also, I don't want to look you in
the eyes while I say feel him inside me. But I think this shows the full extent of Matthew's behavior. So, in a couple
of exchanges, Matthew [music] and Sandra talk about the beginning of their sexual
relationship. What was the first day you said, "OMG, I want this guy to be my first. I want to
feel him inside me." Yeah, so 2012 I finally decided that I was going to try and find a way to you
and just wasn't sure how. I had butterflies so bad the day you took my virginity.
Me, too. It was such a big day. It was April 10th, 2013. Best day of my life. Me, too.
So, the sexual relationship actually began 7 years before Matthew told police that it began. Yes, and he actually even
says that he wishes they'd done it sooner. I wish it had been a year sooner after
helping you study at the library. I didn't even make you wait a year after that. I absolutely would have you in 12.
In 12? 2012. And in 2012, Sandra would have been like, what? >> like 14 or 15. And he knows that this
would have been bad for anyone else to find out, so he asked her to get rid of their messages.
Clear that pod out, baby. I did. Good girl. Again, I know how disturbing these are,
but I really think it's important for our listeners to understand the power that Matthew knew he had over Sandra,
mentally and physically, by the way, because Sandra was 4'10", Matthew was 6'4". So, in one exchange, he says,
"lol, if I pushed, I absolutely could have you without condoms from day one." "I was kind of scared to say no in the
beginning, not knowing how you'd take it. So, yeah, you would have gotten no condoms."
Other messages from Matthew revealed even more disturbing desires. "Maybe I'll choke you a little. I'll
grab your throat and say, 'You won't say a word to anyone.' Will you say, 'Matt, stop. I'm 13. I'm
not ready for this. Oh, I'm FG, please stop.'" According to sources cited in the Boston
Globe, in the year leading up to her death, there are at least 20 times that Matthew texted Sandra about grabbing her
throat, squeezing her throat, or choking her during sex. In another exchange, Sandra asked,
"Do you want me to just take what you do, or try and say no? I know being told no is your favorite." "Say no."
Now, of course, all of these messages are from [music] 2019 onward. So, we have no way of knowing what Sandra and
Matthew's communication was like before that. But, in December of 2020, things took a notable turn.
That's when Sandra texted Matthew about her pregnancy. That's when she sent him a photo of a colorful poster that she'd
made with the word "Congrats, we're going to be parents." >> [music] >> And this is how he responded.
"I literally have nothing to say right now. How could you express that in text when I said I don't appreciate it?" "I'm
mad you're acting how you are over a choice we both made." "I'm mad you act like you gave anyone a choice. You are
truly the worst person on the face of the earth." Matthew also asked how far along Sandra
was. "Regardless of how far, we're keeping it. But, 3 and 1/2 weeks, which means I
conceived this month." "Okay. Well, we need to talk, then." "No [ __ ] that's obvious."
And on December 29th, 2020, they did talk. This conversation was in person, so we have no way of knowing exactly how
it went. But, [music] afterwards, Sandra texts Matthew this. "It made me really uncomfortable and
stressed out and scared when you were next to me, because I thought you were going to hit me after you said what you
said and took things out of my hand. That's why I was crying." "I know you wouldn't, but it still scared me."
So, clearly, he's not happy about the pregnancy. >> I mean, yeah. It's a lot harder to hide
from your wife than just an affair. Well, and [music] at an especially bad time, because I didn't mention this yet,
but when Matthew left Sandra's apartment that night, February 1st, guess where he
went? The delivery room, because his wife was in labor with their third baby. So, yeah, he's about to have a new baby
with his wife, and Sandra is telling him she's pregnant, too. Now, maybe he would
have found some way to keep this under wraps, [music] but on January 20th, Matthew found out that Sandra had been
telling people about their affair. Apparently, he had been under the impression that [music] it was like
their little secret, but it was far from it in Sandra's circles. And apparently,
leading up to her death, this friend, who we're going to call Jill, tried to use that to her advantage. Jill said
that her and Sandra got into an argument about some money that Sandra owed her, and Jill told Sandra that if she didn't
start to pay up, she was going to go file a police report, which she did on January 20th, just weeks before Sandra's
death. When Stoughton PD told Jill that this was a civil matter, Jill got upset,
and in her anger, she, over the phone, basically said, well, like, you can tell whatever police officer, detective, that
Sandra's in a sexual relationship with, that he can tell her to pay back the money.
And how did the officer on the phone respond to that? They went straight to Matthew,
and they're like, um, "What's this about?" And according to investigative files, Matthew got really rattled and
told that person, {quote} not to speak about this to anyone, and to never talk about it again. {end quote}
And whoever he told that to must have kept their code of silence, since we know the internal affairs investigation
did not start then. >> Right. But, that day, after Matthew was approached about the affair, he texted
Sandra. "Dude, your [ __ ] friend called my job, Sandra. WTF? You also told me that
no one knew about us, yet she claimed we are fucking." "It's literally nothing."
"It's not nothing. She called my job. That's insane. Like, you have no idea how bad what she did is.
I literally can't believe this is even real life. Like, what else do I have to worry about now? Which other friend will
do something tomorrow?" And what's so weird is after this interaction, Matthew just, out of
nowhere, completely changes his tune [music] and starts to speak really positively to Sandra about their whole
situation. And Sandra actually texted her friend about it. "So, the father came by last night. It
was like a complete 360 change." "180?" "Yeah, lol." "Good or bad?" "Good, but unexpected. [music] So, it kind of threw
me off and made me a little uncomfortable, but that's cuz of how things were going. But, it was like a
complete 180 from where we were at." On this same night, along with having a heart-to-heart, Matthew also asked
Sandra for a key to her apartment and [music] the code to her building's entrance.
But, even with him seemingly doing everything right, like saying the perfect things,
there were moments where Sandra felt uneasy, like something wasn't quite right. The day of that 180-degree change
conversation, on January 24th, Sandra texted a friend about something weird. "Last night, he opened my closet door
for something, and then he went in my bathroom looking at my bathroom. And then, I have a dolly in my living room
that he asked why I had it. It was just really odd. He started looking around. I
don't know. It was really weird." Then, on January 29th, Sandra reminded Matthew what the code to enter her
apartment complex was, and Matthew asked her to confirm that it was a general code for the entire building, not just
like a personal code for Sandra. And that basically brings us to February 1st. >> that Sandra died.
>> Yes. Matthew texted Sandra at around 9:00 p.m. asking if he could come by for
a second. She responded that she would leave her door open for him. And that was the last known message that
Sandra would ever send. I I guess I'm confused right now. Like, MSP had these messages from Sandra's laptop, right?
Like, are they just ignoring them? It's really bizarre. So, listen, hang on. I'm just going to read you exactly what
they say about the laptop messages in the report. >> [music] >> Keep in mind, again, lot of redactions
here. But, it says this. "Over the next several weeks, I analyzed data from Sandra's laptop. In
particular, I was investigating any criminal conduct related to Sandra's death, and something redacted here.
Sandra's laptop gave me access to approximately 12 months of iMessages, social media content, and other
documents/databases. Matt and Sandra had texted thousands of times over the year, as well as
communication with many other friends and family of Sandra. It was clear, based on texts with Matt,
that he and Sandra had a sexual relationship, as he told us in his previous interview.
Then, there's this big redacted chunk, followed by this. All of these conversations were flagged
in the forensics report of her laptop. Sandra communicated often with friends and family. It appeared Sandra had
sexual relationships with other men in the months leading up to her death. There were no threats of harm by any of
these individuals, including Matt. {end quote} That's it? That's literally the last
sentence on the last page of the MSP report that we received. No threats of harm.
So, no criminal culpability. >> [snorts] >> But, clearly, there is a crime here, right?
Well, put possible murder aside. >> Okay. >> Chief McNamara can't look into that,
right? Because that's not her jurisdiction. >> Mhm. But, yeah, the sexual abuse of an
Explorer within the department she now is chief of, move out the way. Like, she is charging full steam ahead. Cuz here's
the thing, along with now being sure that Matthew abused a minor in the program, other witnesses come forward
and say that Sandra told them he wasn't the only one. According to people who knew Sandra, and
I want to preface this by saying much of this information is unconfirmed, but they say that Matthew Farwell wasn't the
only Stoughton Police Department employee who Sandra had a sexual relationship with. She also had one with
William Farwell, [music] Matthew's twin brother. What? When? How? And did did the brothers know about each other's
relationships with Sandra? >> So, William is also an officer with the Stoughton Police Department. They also
met through the Explorers program, because he was a guest instructor. So, when they talked to him, he admits it,
but like, bad case of déjà vu, he says that he had, {quote} been with Sandra sexually maybe two to three times, and
[music] the last of which was sometime in December of 2020. But that was when she was also seeing Matthew. Apparently.
So clearly there is something bigger happening here. So Chief McNamara's agency hires multiple PIs and outside
consultants and over the course of nearly 19 months they go down every rabbit hole you can think of.
And guess what? It didn't even end there. Implicated in the internal affairs investigation was another man
named Robert Devine who was a former deputy chief of the Stoughton Police Department and the officer in charge of
the Explorers program. Robert is actually the man that brought Matthew and his twin brother into the
program as guest instructors. In interviews Robert first claims to have no knowledge of the Farwell brothers
relationships with Sandra, but then he later clarifies that Sandra did bring it up to him as a consenting adult and
Robert didn't believe her. According to Robert, while he and Sandra were never formally in touch, she would often seek
him out while he was on duty offering coffee, hanging around to talk, and showing what he described as an
obsession with police officers. He said this happened about once a week. So, you
know, she's just obsessed with them. What What could they have done? What could they possibly do, Ashley?
>> I It's a gross implication to me that like she was the problem. All because she wanted to be a police officer.
Because she really did love that program. I mean, Sandra joined the Explorers program in 2010 when she was
13 years old and apparently she was drawn to police officers from a very young age. They represented everything
she wanted. Safety, stability, the things that she didn't have growing up. Family members have said that Sandra
deeply respected police, even idolized them. >> [music] >> According to reporting from Boston
Magazine, she joined the Explorers program not only to fulfill her dreams of becoming an officer herself, but also
to find the mentorship and direction that she craved. But instead she was preyed upon. Chief McNamara's
investigation found that Sandra and Robert had been formally in touch and communicating by Facebook Messenger from
2020 up until her death. According to the report, Robert explains this by quote, "Outrageously making claims about
accounts being hacked." End quote. >> In McNamara's investigation, multiple witnesses interviewed also described a
pattern of inappropriate conduct within the Explorer program, including hugging,
kissing, even encounters in a closet involving Robert and the Farwell brothers, as well as comments like,
"Come back and see me after you turn 18." One witness recalls Sandra talking about the stress officers were under and
the way that they looked for outlets. In the end, McNamara recommends that Robert, William, and Matthew all have
their police certifications revoked and be entered into the national decertification index. And there is at
least one other officer from another department found to be complicit as well. I mean, so what now? The men just
get like a slap on the wrist? Well, they actually all resigned before any sort of
action can even be taken. Of course. And in September 2022, Chief McNamara holds
a press conference about her investigation where she publicly addresses >> [music]
>> the entire situation for the first time. What I'm about to brief you on is something deeply troubling
to me as a human being and as a police chief. On February 4th 2021 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore
was found deceased in her apartment in Canton. I'm not here today to talk about the subsequent
investigation into Miss Birchmore's death. Her death was investigated by the Norfolk District Attorney's Office.
What I am here to talk about today is her life and how she was failed by manipulated by
and used by people of authority that she admired and trusted right up until her final days.
Miss Birchmore was a vulnerable person who had one constant in her life since childhood.
Her unwavering admiration of police officers of those serving the military people in uniform
people with oaths and duties to protect and serve. The admiration led her to form relationships
with men who were willing to take advantage of her. The Farwell brothers and Devine
violated their oaths of office and should never have the privilege of serving any community as a police
officer. Through a sustained and deliberate common combination of lies deceit and treachery
they violated the policies and the core values of the Stoughton Police Department.
Not to mention human decency. I stand before you today as a civil servant who is heartbroken
>> [clears throat] >> and incensed by what has transpired and who pledges to this
that this chapter in the Stoughton Police Department and the town of Stoughton is over.
It must never repeat. The revolving door is closed. Chief McNamara turns all her
findings over to the Norfolk DA's office. I assume for prosecution based on her agency's findings of what would
be statutory rape. >> Mhm. But they declined to press any charges. I I'm sorry. What in the
good old boys club is happening here? Well, in a 2022 statement, a spokesperson for the DA says that
statutory rape would be difficult to prove given that Sandra, the main witness, was dead.
O- Okay, but she's dead because he might have killed her. Like this This can't be the
loophole. Yeah, Sandra's family is furious over this. I haven't even spoken much about them yet, but they were
fighting for her every step of the way. I mean, from the second that her aunt was notified on day one about Sandra's
quote unquote suicide, she knew something was up. I mean, not only did she know that Sandra was actually in a
really happy place before her death, but also when her and other relatives went to Sandra's apartment after her death,
the place gave all the signs of someone who did not take their life. When they started going through her things,
everything that they saw made it seem like Sandra's passing was extremely abrupt. There was still wet clothes in
the washing machine and unopened packages, plus more deliveries on the way. She even had cats that she had left
unattended when police finally found her, which made zero sense because she had actually already started making
plans to have somebody look after those same cats while she gave birth, which would have been like seven months later.
But one of the most telling things I think is what her family finds in the bedroom.
They found Sandra's necklace, this keepsake from her grandmother. It was this thin gold chain with like a pink
flamingo charm and it was laying on the floor. The chain had snapped in the middle and then there was this clump of
hair tangled in it. >> to me that feels like a a sign of a struggle. Did police not see it?
Well, apparently the necklace was broken and like hanging off of her neck when they found her, which is documented with
photographs, but it wasn't collected. So, I guess officers didn't think it was relevant. So, when it fell to the floor
as they're I assume like moving her body, they either didn't notice it or like didn't care and collect it.
>> the family show them? Oh yeah, they handed over the necklace to police right away, but that apparently didn't change
anything for them. So, the family members took it upon themselves to galvanize the community on social media
getting people who knew Sandra to come forward and share stories. So many stories that pointed to the Explorer
program and stories that helped build out McNamara's internal investigation. So now to hear that nothing was going to
come of it, like that was infuriating. So, in December of 2022, Sandra's family tries a different approach. They file a
wrongful death suit in Norfolk County Superior Court accusing Matthew, William, and Robert of grooming and
sexually abusing Sandra from a young age and implicating them in her death. The family alleges wrongful death, negligent
supervision, negligent retention, pain and suffering, and emotional distress among other things. And they
specifically mention an ongoing scheme of grooming and misconduct which they say led to Sandra's death. So, that
litigation is still ongoing and a judgment date is set for May of 2026. >> So, Sandra's family members are really
the only ones actually looking into her death as anything other than a suicide. >> So, this is what I was saying. Where you
get this like moment where you're like the system is not working. Everything's broken.
But there are good eggs within it. So, we've got Chief McNamara who has this investigation exposing her officers for
their abhorrent behavior. And then maybe because of her, maybe because of something else like another big case
involving Canton PD and MSP that happens in 2022. >> John O'Keefe. Yeah, maybe because of all
the pressure and the spotlight combined, at some point other good people step in
and say, "Nah-uh, not on our watch." And that's the FBI. Now, it's not really clear how the FBI investigation timeline
unfolded. They haven't been very public about that. >> known to be very public >> [laughter]
>> about anything. But on August 28th, 2024, Special Agent Shanique Castrida releases a 45-page
affidavit with all of her findings. And it details exactly what they think happened and why.
Agent Castrida confirms what we already know about Matthew grooming Sandra when she was a child and lays out Matthew's
motive for murder in clear terms. She writes that in October of 2020, when Sandra heard about Matthew's wife's
pregnancy, she went to him with an ultimatum. She wouldn't expose their years-long sexual relationship,
including the fact that it began when she was underage and that they'd been meeting while Matthew was on duty if he
agreed to try and get her pregnant. Their texts even show Sandra sending Matthew her ovulation schedule. And the
two of them planning sexual encounters around it. But when Sandra got pregnant, she started telling people about it. And
that wasn't part of the deal. The affidavit actually puts forward that on January 20th, when that friend Jill
called Stoughton PD and spilled the beans about Matthew and Sandra, causing that officer to question Matthew, that
is the very moment that Matthew hatched a plan to kill her. And all those heart-to-hearts after that
Agent Castrida says were, quote, "His attempt to appease Birchmore until he could kill her." End quote. And they
have physical proof, they say. The FBI analyzed the data from the health app on Sandra's iPhone. Her last movements were
recorded at 9:40 p.m. That is 3 minutes before Matthew was seen leaving her building. So, it's likely this data
shows exactly when Sandra died and Matthew was still inside the apartment. And when he left, he could have used the
key that [music] he had to lock up behind him. >> Right. And Agent Castrida backs this up
by tapping expert forensic physician Dr. William Smock. He specializes in asphyxiation cases and testified in the
Derek Chauvin trial about George Floyd's murder. According to the affidavit, Smock's findings directly contradict
what state police concluded. He pointed out that the fracture in Sandra's hyoid bone, which is at the top of the neck,
didn't line up with the position that she was found in. Smock explained that when someone is found seated, it is
considered an incomplete hanging, meaning that only part of the body's weight is actually pulling on the neck.
And in his deep dive through forensic research, he could not find a single documented case of a woman fracturing
her hyoid bone in that kind of scenario. Instead, those fractures overwhelmingly
show up in cases of manual strangulation or when the full weight of the body is suspended. So, he concludes with, quote,
"A reasonable degree of medical and scientific certainty that the cause of Ms. Birchmore's death is asphyxia and
that the manner of her death is homicide." End quote. And something else really interesting that Agent Castrida
writes is that after Matthew consented to handing his personal cell phone over to state police, he used his work phone
to search and then immediately delete searches for >> Right, right. >> whether deleted iMessages can be
recovered and whether someone can revoke consent in Massachusetts. [music] And it's on the last page of this
document that Agent Castrida writes this. Quote, "The information set forth above supports the government's motion
to detain Matthew Farwell pending trial in [music] this case." And that is how on the very date Agent
Castrida files her report, Matthew Farwell is arrested. So, how did the FBI get jurisdiction of the case in order to
make the arrest? Like, do they just like Trump state agencies by default? >> No, the FBI makes an ingenious move to
charge Matthew with one count of killing a witness or [music] victim, which is a
federal crime charge that often appears in connection with other federal charges, like sometimes in mob cases or
crime rings that span like multiple states. >> But in this case, it allowed the FBI to
step in without involving MSP. >> Exactly. And this charge also happens to be punishable by death. [music] So, that
same day, Matthew pleads not guilty at an arraignment. And as of this recording, Matthew has been indicted by
a federal grand jury and his trial is currently scheduled to begin on October 5th, 2026.
Until then, he's being held without bail at a detention facility in Rhode Island.
And our reporter, Nicole Kegan, actually reached out to his attorney for comment,
but as of this recording, we have not heard anything back. There is news still breaking in this case, though. The
strangest thing to me was broken by the Boston Globe earlier this year. They wrote that people familiar with the
investigation who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that DNA testing showed Matthew was not the biological
father of Sandra's unborn baby. Okay, first of all, who are these sources? I like need to know.
>> but I have no idea. >> And secondly, the motive still makes sense for me, though, cuz if Matthew
thought he was the father, which it really seems like he did from the text messages, like that's
your motive. And also, he refused to give his DNA at first, right? >> Well, also, he had a twin brother who
admitted to sleeping with Sandra at the same time. And like my own PSA, I no longer trust adult twins who work at the
same place if that place gives them access to children. I know that sounds specific, but I just listened to the
newest season of Dig and like oh hell no, there is a pattern here. But there is also another pattern that I found,
one with the Explorers program. Sandra's story is one that did get a decent amount of attention [music] and
had been kind of like living in the back of my brain since 2022-ish when I first
heard about it. And in digging into that, this local article from here in Indianapolis popped up and grabbed my
attention. It was from April 14th, 2022. It said, "IMPD officer tied to teen suicide ordered to write weekly journal
in rare sentence." And that's kind of like Crime Junkie clickbait. And when I began reading, I had this
weird déjà vu. Deleted text messages, the police Explorers [music] program. So, I began to wonder, maybe
William and Matthew and Robert weren't a couple of bad apples in the system. What
if the program is designed in a way that actually attracts predators and puts children at risk? Like, parents are
sending their kids off to work with the police because like you couldn't be safer, right? Wrong. The more I looked,
the more I found. And our reporter, Nina and I, have spent months, the better part of a year, uncovering systematic
issues with the Explorers program. And next week, we are going to be releasing an entire episode with every twisted
detail we found. [music] So, for those of you who don't want to wait, you can actually listen to that
episode right now in our fan club app. I think everyone needs to know about it. But it is truly required listening for
anyone considering the program or for any parent who has a kid in it. Like this is something that we can't just
look away from and like hope stuff that stops happening. We have to shine a light directly on it. So, tell everyone
you know, next week's episode of Crime Junkie is required listening for everyone so you know what is there and
how you can keep your kids and your friends safe. You can find all of our source material for this episode on our
website crimejunkie.com. And don't forget, if you want to listen to more episodes like this, all of our
episodes completely ad-free and next week's episode early, be sure to join our fan club. You'll get early access to
new episodes every week and bonus [music] content every month. And you can follow us on Instagram
@crimejunkiepodcast. >> We'll be back next week with a brand new episode.

On February 4, 2021, 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore was found dead in her apartment in Canton, Massachusetts. Within hours, authorities determined her death was self-inflicted. But, this conclusion never aligned with the evidence, her family’s concerns, or the timeline of her final hours.

Sandra had been 8–10 weeks pregnant. She adored law enforcement from childhood and joined the Stoughton Police Explorers Program at age 13, hoping it would lead to a future career. Instead, it placed her in the orbit of three Stoughton officers: Matthew Farwell, William Farwell, and Robert Devine.

What investigators would later uncover is a pattern of grooming, manipulation, and abuse that stretched over a decade. Despite early official claims that nothing criminal occurred, Stoughton’s newly appointed police chief, Donna McNamara, refused to ignore the red flags. Her internal investigation unearthed thousands of messages, disturbing behaviors, and misconduct that state investigators had overlooked or dismissed, that ultimately pointed to a far darker truth about Sandra’s final night.

Then, in August 2024, the FBI stepped in. A 45-page federal affidavit detailed new forensic evidence, expert findings, and behavioral analysis indicating Sandra’s death was not accidental and that the officer she trusted most may have planned to silence her permanently. That same day, Matthew Farwell was arrested on a rare federal charge: “killing a witness or victim”.

In this episode, Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat break down the years of abuse hidden behind the badge, the failures that allowed it to continue, and the federal investigation now working to bring justice for Sandra. If you have information related to this case, contact the FBI or the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office.

-------- Key Episode Moments: 0:00 - 3:43 - Case Intro 3:44 - 6:58 - Sandra Found Dead in Canton 6:59 - 9:54 - Officer Matthew Farwell Identified 9:55 - 13:11 - Affair & Pregnancy Revealed 13:12 - 16:06 - Deleted Messages & Red Flags 16:07 - 18:59 - Grooming Through Police Explorers 19:00 - 22:56 - Twin Brother William Farwell Involved 22:57 - 26:09 - Deputy Chief Robert Devine’s Role 26:10 - 29:14 - Internal Affairs Investigation 29:15 - 32:30 - Chief Donna McNamera Speaks Out 32:31 - 35:59 - DA Declines Statutory Rape Charges 36:00 - 40:05 - Family Files Wrongful Death Suit 40:06 - 43:20 - FBI Homicide Investigation Begins 43:21 - 44:59 - Federal Murder Charge Filed 45:00 - 46:40 - DNA Twist & Ongoing Trial 46:41 - 48:25 - Explorer Program Pattern Emerges 48:26 - 48:30 - Outro

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Brief Summary

Sandra Birchmore's death reveals police misconduct and systemic failures in law enforcement, leading to ongoing legal battles for her family.

Key points

The System's Failures. The police chief reflects on systemic issues within law enforcement.
A Troubling Relationship. Matthew Farwell, a police officer, allegedly had an affair with Sandra, complicating the investigation.
Disturbing Text Messages. Text messages reveal a troubling sexual relationship between Sandra and Matthew.
Internal Affairs Investigation. Stoughton PD opened an investigation into officer Matthew Farwell the day after Sandra's death.
Matthew's Disturbing Texts. Matthew's messages reveal a troubling power dynamic and disturbing desires towards Sandra.
Sandra's Pregnancy Announcement. Sandra shares her pregnancy news with Matthew, leading to a heated exchange.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I might be the delusional one and this is just how the world is, evil.

Reflection on systemic issues in law enforcement.

2:24WatchDec 15, 2025

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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