An ultrasound of Sandra Birchmore’s unborn son was presented in court Wednesday during the trial of disgraced ex-cop Matthew Farwell, accused of killing her to keep her quiet about their affair and her pregnancy.
The jury in Farwell’s federal trial in Boston was shown multiple images of Birchmore’s messy apartment in Canton, Massachusetts — where she was found dead on Feb. 4, 2021, three days after the 40-year-old married father of three allegedly strangled her and staged it to look like a suicide.
One of the photos showed the 23-year-old mother-to-be’s kitchen fridge, with a photo of her pregnancy ultrasound held by a magnet.
Another photo showed a box for a stroller placed upside down on the floor of her apartment.
Birchmore was at least eight months pregnant at the time of her death, according to federal prosecutors.
Farwell killed Birchmore to ensure she could not carry out her threats to expose him to his wife about their seven-year sexual relationship. He began abusing Birchmore when she was just 15, prosecutors said.
Birchmore and Farwell also believed she was carrying his baby — a fact that DNA testing disproved after the fact, prosecutors say.
Farwell’s own wife gave birth to his third child the day after the murder, authorities said.
Jurors heard testimony Tuesday that the Canton home was Birchmore’s first apartment she moved into in December 2020, just weeks before the murder.
The sparsely decorated home appeared dirty and cluttered, with water bottles, soda cans, cups, papers and other household items strewn across the floor, tables and counters, photos show.
Birchmore’s bed was unmade, her kitchen sink was filled with soda cans and her carpet appeared to be stained everywhere, the images showed.
Cheryl Carlson, a former assistant principal at East Elementary School in Sharon where Birchmore worked as a teaching assistant, testified Tuesday that she was skeptical of the initial determination that Birchmore had killed herself, prompting Carlson to personally contact investigators, according to a previous Globe report.
“It made no sense to me. Because she was so excited to have this baby,” Carlson said of the alleged suicide.
“It didn’t fit his character.”
And Birchmore even confided in Carlson about her arguments with the baby’s father, but she was still determined to have the child “no matter what,” Carlson said.
After Birchmore found out she was pregnant in December 2020, she was so happy that she texted Farwell a picture, saying, “Congratulations, we’re going to be parents,” according to prosecutors.
But he would have responded mercilessly: “You are truly the worst person on Earth. »
Prosecutors said Birchmore told Farwell that if he didn’t get her pregnant, she would reveal to his wife that he was cheating on her. So Farwell reluctantly agreed.
Farwell allegedly began grooming Birchmore when she was a 13-year-old aspiring cop in a children’s program that Farwell helped run, then began abusing her when she was just 15, prosecutors alleged.
Then, when he killed her, he staged the scene to make it appear as if she had hanged herself, placing a strap around her neck and hanging her seated body from the closet doorknob, prosecutors claimed.
The jury saw gruesome images of his body on Tuesday when it was discovered three days later.
Farwell pleaded not guilty to murder of a witness or victim and causing the death of an unborn child.
Farwell’s defense attorney claimed Birchmore killed herself and told jurors about her history of mental health issues to support that claim.
Prosecutors, meanwhile, said Birchmore was over the moon about having the child and took her mental health seriously as she prepared for the baby, including going back on her antidepressants.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line to 741741.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, you can call the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Hotline on 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
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