Friend of woman allegedly killed by officer says suicide claim "a lie"

Lauren Andrews says she was almost like a secondary parent to Sandra Birchmore, who was allegedly killed by then-police officer Matthew Farwell, and that Birchmore had a difficult upbringing.

Andrews told CBS News she spoke with Birchmore just two weeks before her death in February 2021 and never believed the medical examiner's initial conclusion that Birchmore died by suicide. The medical examiner later changed the cause of death to "undetermined."

Andrews said Birchmore shared with her that she was pregnant, and saw no signs Birchmore would hurt herself when she was at her house for the last time.

"Absolutely not," Andrews told CBS News. "She was excited and thrilled about having a baby. She was gonna go to nursing school. She was ready to move on and she wanted that baby, she wanted a life for that baby."

Farwell, who was a police officer in Stoughton, Massachusetts, is now on trial for killing Birchmore and her unborn baby. The 23-year-old was found dead in her apartment in neighboring Canton, located in the Boston suburbs, and is believed to have been pregnant with Farwell's child at the time, according to authorities.

"It was complete, 100% exploitation is what it was," Andrews told CBS News. "It was grooming."

Testimony in the case began on Tuesday, following opening statements on Friday.

Federal prosecutors said Farwell met Birchmore when she was 13 years old and a member of the police department's youth program. Investigators alleged he groomed Birchmore for years and began having sex with her when she was 15 and he was 27.   

Andrews, the mother of one of Birchmore's best friends, remembers Birchmore as part of the family. When she first heard Birchmore died by suicide in her apartment, she simply couldn't believe it.

"We felt it was a lie," Andrews said. "We felt injustice had occurred."

Andrews said she immediately suspected Farwell was behind the death. She said she told Canton police about her suspicions, but they didn't act.

"We talked to the officer, and you know he just didn't even act like he was taking it seriously," she said.

After years of mounting public pressure, federal prosecutors charged Farwell with murder in 2024. A separate internal affairs investigation by the police department found Farwell had shared hundreds of text messages and explicit exchanges over the course of several years.

It also found at least two other Stoughton police officers had inappropriate relationships with Birchmore, including Farwell's twin brother, William, who has not been criminally charged. William Farwell admitted to having a sexual relationship with Birchmore for two years while she was an adult when interviewed during the internal police investigation.

All three resigned from the force after the investigation was released in August 2022. 

Birchmore found out she was pregnant in December 2020 and told Farwell that he was the father, prosecutors said. The following February, prosecutors allege, he strangled Birchmore and made it look like a suicide. DNA testing later confirmed Farwell was not the father, but prosecutors allege he believed he could have been at the time. Farwell's lawyers say he never believed he was the father.

Farwell has pleaded not guilty to charges of killing a witness or victim and failure to protect an unborn child. If convicted, he faces life in prison.

In:

• Massachusetts
• Murder Trial

Stunning details emerge in case of cop accused of raping, killing Sandra Birchmore