The previous Stoughton cop accused of killing Sandra Birchmore was arraigned Friday on recent prices that embrace the killing of her unborn child.
Matthew Farwell was not current at his arraignment on a superseding indictment that appended the cost associated to the loss of life of the unborn child.
His attorneys had filed a waiver of look and a studying of the indictment. Not responsible pleas to every cost have been entered on his behalf throughout the temporary listening to in federal court docket in Boston earlier than Justice of the Peace Decide M. Web page Kelley.
Federal authorities arrested and charged Farwell with Birchmore’s killing in August of final yr. Prosecutors final month unsealed a brand new indictment charging him with the loss of life of the unborn child, which Birchmore excitedly advised him was his, in keeping with the feds.
Prosecutors say the newborn’s gestational age was between eight and 10 weeks.
Authorities say that Farwell met Birchmore when as a baby she joined the Police Explorers Academy, a youth program run by the Stoughton Police Division for which Farwell taught.
He shortly developed a relationship with the woman 12 years his junior, in keeping with the indictment, and that relationship turned sexual when Birchmore skipped a college occasion to lose her virginity to Farwell when she was 16 years outdated.
Birchmore realized she was pregnant in late December 2020, a couple of month earlier than she would die.
Prosecutors say that Farwell on Feb. 1, 2021, entered Birchmore’s Canton condominium and strangled her to loss of life as he knew she was weeks pregnant. He then staged the condominium to make it appear like Birchmore had dedicated suicide.
State authorities dominated the loss of life a suicide however then-U.S. Legal professional Joshua Levy mentioned that federal prosecutors had retained their very own examiner who disagreed with that ruling.
Whereas Massachusetts doesn’t have a loss of life penalty, Farwell can face such a penalty in federal court docket. Farwell added loss of life penalty protection specialist Kimberly Stevens to his group in June.
