Trial begins for former Massachusetts officer accused of killing pregnant woman

The trial of Matthew Farwell, a former Massachusetts police officer, began on October 9, 2026, in Boston. Farwell is charged with killing Sandra Birchmore, a 23-year-old pregnant woman whose death was initially ruled a suicide in February 2021. Prosecutors claim that Farwell sexually abused Birchmore since she was 15 and murdered her to prevent her from exposing their affair to his wife. During the trial, it emerged that Farwell responded viciously when Birchmore told him about her pregnancy but then lured her into a false sense of safety before allegedly killing her on February 1, 2021. Prosecutors allege Farwell strangled Birchmore and staged it as a suicide to cover up their relationship and the pregnancy.