Matthew Farwell convicted of killing Sandra Birchmore, unborn child

A jury has found former Stoughton, Massachusetts, police officer Matthew Farwell guilty of killing Sandra Birchmore and her unborn child. The verdict was read in federal court in South Boston Tuesday afternoon.

Farwell was charged with killing a witness or victim and causing the death of an unborn child. He pleaded not guilty. The jury had previously said in a note on Monday that it was "in a deadlock."

There were gasps from Birchmore's family as the verdict was read aloud in court.

Jurors heard from 50 witnesses over four weeks of testimony. If convicted, Farwell faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Department of Justice could have pursued the death penalty against Farwell, but decided last year it would not.

To convict Farwell on the charge of killing a witness or victim, jurors had to find find that he not only killed Birchmore, but that he did so to prevent her from reporting his crimes to federal authorities.  

Farwell and Birchmore met when she was a 13-year-old cadet in the Stoughton Police Department's youth explorers program. Prosecutors say Farwell began a sexual relationship with her when she was just 15. 

The 23-year-old Birchmore was found dead in her Canton apartment with a strap hanging around her neck in February 2021. Her death was initially ruled a suicide. But more than three years later, Farwell was arrested and the medical examiner changed Birchmore's manner of death to "undetermined."

Prosecutors made the case that Farwell strangled Birchmore, who was pregnant with what she believed was his child, and then staged her death to look like a suicide in order to cover up their years-long affair. The defense said Birchmore had a history of mental health problems and committed suicide because Farwell told her he was not the father and the relationship was over. 

This is a breaking news story that will be updated as more information is available.