BOSTON — A former Massachusetts police officer pleaded not guilty Wednesday to murdering a woman he allegedly sexually exploited when she was a minor and then attempting to stage her death as a suicide after she told him she was pregnant.
Matthew Farwell made the request during an initial appearance in federal court in Boston. He was handcuffed and led out of the room. A follow-up hearing was set for Oct. 17.
Farwell was indicted this week on charges that he strangled Sandra Birchmore in early 2021 after she told him she was pregnant and that he was the father. Birchmore was 23 at the time.
According to the indictment, Farwell killed Birchmore to prevent authorities from discovering details of his sex crimes.
Farwell worked as an officer for the Stoughton Police Department, south of Boston, for 10 years, from 2012 to 2022. It is not immediately clear why he left the force.
According to the Massachusetts court filing, Birchmore began participating in the police investigator program at age 12.
Court documents allege that Farwell, a police volunteer, used his authority and access to manipulate, sexually exploit and sexually abuse Birchmore when she was 15. He continued to have sex with her into adulthood.
In late 2020, Birchmore discovered she was pregnant and told Farwell, the lawsuit said.
The following month, a friend of Birchmore’s called Stoughton police to report that Farwell had had sex with Birchmore. Farwell strangled Birchmore on about Feb. 1, 2021, and then staged her apartment to make it appear as if she had committed suicide, the complaint said.
Court documents show that on several occasions Farwell falsely claimed to have worked certain hours to conceal the fact that he had sexually abused Birchmore when she was a minor and he was employed.
Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara said Wednesday that the department was working with other agencies, including the FBI, to investigate.
“The day after Sandra Birchmore was found dead in her Canton apartment, I ordered a lengthy and aggressive internal investigation, the instructions of which made it clear that no stone would be left unturned,” McNamara said in a statement.
“Sandra’s alleged murder is a horrific injustice,” McNamara said. “The charges against the suspect, a former Stoughton police officer, represent the worst act of not only professional misconduct but human indecency that I have seen in a nearly three-decade career in law enforcement.”
If Farwell is found guilty of killing a witness or victim, he would face a minimum of life in prison. Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy declined to comment Wednesday on whether federal authorities would seek the death penalty if Farwell is found guilty.
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Perry reported from Meredith, New Hampshire.