Matthew Gregory Farwell and his Twin Brother William T Farwell was born in October 1985 to Eleanor Farwell and William L Farwell Sr in Norwood, Massachusetts. He attended Stoughton High School but was suspended for attendance and eventually dropped out in 11th grade.

Matthew Farwell had several run-ins with the Stoughton police, and September 1998 Matthew and his twin Brother William then 12 years old, became a participants in the Stoughton police youth program.

In 2001 Devine served as school resource officer and volunteered with Explorers Program run by Stoughton PD

in 2002 Robert Devine was ordered to run the Explorers Program by the Former Chief Cachopa. At 16 Farwell brothers were caught impersonating police officers and pulling over vehicles, Devine was the head of the Program, and was very familiar with both Matthew Farwell and William Farwell. In 2022 Matthew Farwell been designated the rank of Deputy Chief within a program.

In 2004 Matthew Farwell earned high-school equivalency diploma in Maine. He enlisted in the Army, where he was trained as an explosives expert and deployed to Afghanistan for six months in 2006. His military service ended in 2008 and he moved back to Mas and Robert Devine brought in former Explorers Matthew Farwell and his twin brother, William, as guest instructors. IA Report p6

In 2008 Matthew Farwell was hired by the Wellesley Police Department, where he served from 2008 to 2012. During his time at Wellesley Police, he received several commendations, including one for performing CPR on a man who collapsed at a local gym, in 2012.

In 2010 former Explorers Matthew Farwell officer at Wellesley Police Department and his twin brother, William Army, volunteered as guest instructors, the same year Sandra tried to join Youth Explorers program in March, 2010 when she was 12 but was on the stand-by list for the program, She began participating in the program in the spring of 2010.

September 2011 through June 2012 Farwell volunteers for Police Explorers and begins meeting with Birchmore during her freshman year in high school. Birchmore tells others that Farwell is helping her with homework.

Sandra Birchmore, first met police officer Matthew Farwell as part of the Youth Explorers program when she was 13.

April 10, 2013 Farwell, then a 27-year-old, had sex with the 15-year-old Birchmore, committing statutory rape, which is considered statutory rape under Massachusetts law.

April 10, 2013 Farwell, then a 27-year-old, had sex with the 15-year-old Birchmore, committing statutory rape, which is considered statutory rape under Massachusetts law. The next day April 11, 2013 Matthew and Michelle Chisholm had a Photoshoot for their wedding

One month from today Michelle & Matt will be married at the Mount Washington Hotel in New Hampshire.

Matthew Farwell married Michell on May 11, 2013 Farwell was a patrolmen. He was 26 at the time when abuse began.

Birchmore’s journal entries from 2013 detail a continuous and sometimes violent sexual relationship with Farwell. Birchmore often journaled about Matthew Farwell using sex acts to punish her.

According to her journal entries, Matthew Farwell would engage in forceful sex acts to punish her for her mistakes such as getting bad grades and failing to share her cell phone location with him.

Matthew Farwell married Michell on May 11, 2013 Farwell was a patrolmen and a married and continued Sandra’s abuse.

On December 9, 2013, the Stoughton Police Department posted a photo on their official Facebook page. The image showed a group of teenagers, part of the department’s Police Explorers program, gathered in front of a decorated Christmas tree. The mood was festive, with each young face beaming with excitement and holiday cheer. Among them was Sandra Birchmore, a 15-year-old girl with a bright smile that lit up the room. The caption beneath the photo read, “Smile Birchmore,” capturing the moment of joy shared among the group.

Come and learn crucial life skills that will serve you well into adulthood. The Police Explorers academy is a demanding ten week course that covers the following:

• Physical Fitness
• Police Customs and Courtesies
• CPR Certification
• Self Defense
• Criminal, Constitutional, Motor Vehicle Law
• Drug Awareness
• The Court System
• K-9 Demonstrations
• Crime Scene Investigation
• Much More!

Orientation and sign ups for the 2014 Explorers Academy will be on March 27U| at 5:00 PM at the Stoughton Police Station.

The Academy is for motivated teens with a cut off age of 21 and will take place Wednesdays and Thursdays- at 5:30 PM starting on April 2nd Graduates will be eligible for the department ride-along program during file summer months. The program is geared toward young people with an interest in policing, medical, fire service, military service, or a desire to serve your community.

Picture of smiling Stoughton Police Explorer Recruits was posted on June 12, 2014 by Stoughton PD on their Twitter Account with the caption

Waiting for their turn #policeexplorers

Farwell was an instructor and assisted Stoughton Police Executive Officer Robert Devine with the running of the annual academy, bringing in Army EOD equipment so the kids could try on a bomb suit or drive one of the robots. Farwell meeting up with Sandra to have sex in Farwell’s police vehicles and other places regularly.

Matthew Farwell, and Officer Robert C. Devine were Stoughton officers

Evidence uncovered in the investigation found that Matthew and William Farwell had engaged in “multiple inappropriate physical encounters” with Birchmore and had sent explicit messages and photos to the girl while he was on duty, McNamara said.

The investigation found that Matthew exploited Sandra Birchmore when she was young,” McNamara said.

Birchmore sends Farwell a text informing him that she is pregnant. She includes a photo of a poster she made to celebrate the pregnancy. Birchmore says she is three-and-a-half weeks pregnant and vows to keep the child. The two argue about the pregnancy in a text conversation. 

Birchmore: “No I’m mad your acting how you are over a CHOICE WE BOTH MADE”

Farwell: “I’m mad you act like you gave anyone a choice”

At the time, Farwell’s wife is eight months pregnant with their third child. Birchmore accuses Farwell of being angry because his wife and Birchmore are both pregnant and he does not know how he would support both children. She tells him that he needs to be there when she goes into labor. 

December 29, 2020 Farwell and Birchmore meet to talk in person. Afterwards, Birchmore sends Farwell a text indicating that there was an altercation. 

Birchmore: “it made me really uncomfortable and stressed out and scared when you were next to me because I thought you were gonna 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.”

Birchmore calls another person, telling them that after Farwell learned about the baby, he told her that he “wished [she] just would die and he wants nothing to do with the baby.” Birchmore also tells this person that Farwell put her in a headlock and grabbed her cell phone from her hand. The person tells Birchmore to distance herself from Farwell. 

January 16 2021 Birchmore tells a friend that after Farwell learned about the baby, he told her that he “wished [she] just would die and he wants nothing to do with the baby.” Birchmore also tells this person that Farwell put her in a headlock and grabbed her cell phone from her hand. The person tells Birchmore to distance herself from Farwell.

January 20, 2021: Sandra’s friend she confided in calls Stoughton police because she was angry Sandra owned her money, and references the sexual relationship between Birchmore and Farwell. The Stoughton police employee who received the call takes down the caller’s name and gives it to Farwell. Farwell immediately gets angry and instructs the colleague “not to speak about this to anyone and to never talk about it again.”

After learning about the call, Farwell sends Birchmore a series of angry texts.

Farwell: “Dude your f—king friend called my job Sandra wtf”

Farwell: “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?”

January 23, 2021 Farwell came over and exhibited a change in demeanor. Farwell brought Sandra a ginger ale, asked for a key, and looked around the closet and bathroom in Birchmore’s apartment.

January 24, 2021 Sandra makes a copy of the key for her Apartment and She tells Farwell that she has his key and gives him the passcode to her building’s front door. 

January 29, 2021 Farwell verifies that the code is the general one given to the entire building, not specifically one assigned to her. 

January 30, 2021: Birchmore asks Farwell if she can tell him some of the baby names that she is considering. Farwell says that he would rather discuss that in person. 

Surveillance footage of Sandra Birchmore’s apartment complex, showing the last time she was seen alive and the last person to see her alive, Matthew Farwell, entering and leaving the building on February 1st, 2021.

February 1, 2021 Birchmore tells Farwell that she is going to be released early from her job at a public school in Sharon. Farwell tells her that he won’t be around that area. 

Later in the afternoon, Birchmore tells Farwell that she received an early gift in the mail and was not planning on having a baby shower until late March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She tells Farwell that she wants him to buy clothes for the child. 

At about 5 p.m., surveillance video from outside Birchmore’s Canton apartment shows her accepting a DoorDash order. She is seen again going outside briefly and returning with a snow brush just after 5:30 p.m. 

9 p.m., Farwell sends Birchmore a text asking if he can “come by for a second.” She responds, saying that the door would be open for him. Surveillance video shows Farwell entering the apartment at about 9:15 p.m. wearing a hooded sweatshirt with the hood up and a medical facemask. The video shows Farwell leaving the building just before 9:43 p.m. 

February 2, 2021

The following day February 2, 2021 at Newton Wellesley Hospital in Newton Massachusetts, Michelle Farwell, wife to Matthew Farwell, a Stoughton Police Department Detective, gave birth to their 3rd child at 9:25 in the morning.

February 4, 2021 Birchmore fails to show up for work, and a colleague calls the police. Canton police officers go to Birchmore’s apartment to conduct a well-being check. They find her body seated on the floor in a reclined position with a duffel bag strap (**Note; this varies in all reports) tied around her neck. The strap is found connected to a closet doorknob, the same closet Farwell inspected about a week earlier. First responders quickly conclude that Birchmore had been dead for days. She is found wearing the same clothes she was wearing on February 1. Her body is transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. 

unknown Date days following Birchmore’s death, family members help clean out her apartment. They discover that she was in the middle of doing laundry at the time of her death. They find a homemade sign with the words, “Congratulations you’re going to be a father.” The sign has an ultrasound photo on it and is sprinkled with glitter. They find a new baby stroller still in its package and other baby items that were recently delivered. 

On February 6, 2021 Matthew Farwell was interviewed, he stated that sometime early in 2020 he began a sexual relationship with Sandra. He said that he was intoxicated one night and ended up meeting up with her and having sex. Matthew said that he maybe had sex with her 2-3 since last year. He said that the last time they had sex was the end of October 2020. Matthew stated that sometime in December 2020 Sandra told him that she was pregnant and he was the father. Matthew Farwell said that he was confident the last time he had sex with her and that the timeline didn’t add up based on her expected due date in September. He was adamant that he is not the father of the unborn child that Sandra was carrying at the time of her death.

Monday February 1, 2021 he went to Sandra’s apartment in Canton. He said that he asked her if he could come by and she said no problem and he intended on breaking everything off with Sandra.

Matthew Farwell said that he told Sandra that she was crazy and it was not his child. He said that Sandra told him that he was a dick” Matthew said that he was straight-forward in his conversation with her, and told her that it was all over and he was blocking her from all forms of communication. Matthew Farwell said he kept telling Sandra that there is no way that he’s the father based on her timeline. He said that he kept calm and was not trying to incite a fight. Sandra was upset, but she did not make any suicidal statements at all. It was a pretty nasty argument but they weren’t too loud and when he left and Sandra was standing in the kitchen when he walked out. According to a Report Farwell lied

Farwell told troopers he visited Birchmore’s apartment on the evening of Feb. 1, 2021, telling her that he wasn’t the father of her baby. Birchmore was upset, Farwell told the troopers, but didn’t make “any suicidal statements.” “Matt said that he was straightforward in his conversation with her, and told her that it was all over and he was blocking her from all forms of communication,” Fanning wrote.

Surveillance footage from Birchmore’s apartment complex showed Farwell entering her apartment building and then exiting 28 minutes later, State Police records show.

February 9, 2021 Farwell gives consent for his personal cell phone to State Police detectives. He uses his Stoughton police-issued cell phone to search the internet for information about whether deleted messages can be recovered. Evidence shows that Farwell told Birchmore to delete text messages multiple times over the course of their relationship. 

Matthew Farwell hired an attorney and sent a letter to PD.

Throughout your conversations with my client and later with myself, you have indicated that you view him as a witness in your investigation. This is consistent with reality as Mr. Farewell has committed no crime. Like many, he is saddened by Ms. Birchmore’s death. During our recent conversations, you asked Mr. Farewell to submit a DNA sample and participate in a polygraph interview. Although I appreciate your diligence, I advised my client to decline these requests and the request for a further interview (not a polygraph) that accompanied them.  Letter

February 11, 2021: In an interview with State Police investigating Birchmore’s death, his brother William Farwell admits to having been in a sexual relationship with her, as recently as 2020. He says that Birchmore told him about her pregnancy and said Matthew Farwell was the father.

On February 24, 2021, Matthew Farwell was placed on paid administrative leave. During this period, he obtained a commercial driver’s license and founded an interstate trucking business, DMJ Transportation LLC., a business headquartered at his home in Easton.

November 22, 2022, the Commission authorized the Division to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the allegations of misconduct against Farwell. 

March 21, 2023 The POST Commission, the state’s police oversight agency, votes to decertify Matthew Farwell.

April 1, 2022 William Farwell resigns from the Stoughton Police Department. In a resignation letter, he denies all allegations of misconduct.

On September 23, 2022 Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara said in Press Conference “All three men, the Farwell brothers and Devine, violated an oath of office and should never have the privilege of serving any community as a police officer,” she said. “Through a sustained and deliberate combination of lies, deceit, and treachery, they violated the policies and the core values of the Stoughton Police Department — not to mention human decency.”

June 30, 2023, the POST Division submitted its report of preliminary inquiry to the Commission.

July 12, 2023, the Commission voted to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Farwell .

February 29, 2024 Matthew Farwell signed an agreement stating thay He agrees to no longer work in law enforcement in Massachusetts and to be added to a national database of sanctioned officers. He does not admit “the truth of any allegations against him.”

March 21, 2024 Order of Decertification, and inclusion in the National Decertification Index was signed by Margaret R. Hinkle, with Agreement effective date:  Decertification Date: March 21, 2023

National decertification database:  An individual who has been decertified by the POST Commission cannot work for a law enforcement agency in any capacity and their name is added to the National Decertification Index (NDI).

June 18, 2024 Sandra Birchmore’s death is ruled a homicide by prominent pathologist Dr. Michael Baden, a former chief medical examiner in New York City, wrote in a letter to an attorney for Birchmore’s estate that she was a homicide victim who died by strangulation. His conclusion contradicts the findings of the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

August 2024 Matthew Farwell was arrested and charged for killing Sandra Birchmore. Indictment alleges Matthew Farwell strangled Sandra Birchmore to death inside her Canton apartment, and staged it look like she died by suicide. Levy said: “When it became clear to Mr. Farwell that he could no longer control Sandra Birchmore, he silenced her. Permanently.”