Matthew Farwell Faces a Death Certificate That Says WHAT?!

The Matthew Farwell trial begins with a document that no longer says what it said for five years. Sandra Birchmore’s death certificate originally listed suicide. In April 2026, the Massachusetts medical examiner changed the manner of death to undetermined and changed the cause from asphyxia by hanging to asphyxia. 

Farwell’s defense still says Sandra killed herself. Judge Denise Casper has ruled that his lawyers may show jurors evidence of Sandra’s mental-health struggles and suicidal thoughts. That creates the central fight for October: whether the jury sees those records as an explanation for her death, or as personal history that does not answer the physical and investigative evidence prosecutors plan to present.
 
Federal prosecutors allege Farwell met Sandra through the Stoughton Police Explorers program, where she enrolled at 12. They say he began an unlawful relationship with her at 15 while he was 27 and later killed her to prevent disclosure of what had happened. Farwell has pleaded not guilty to charges of killing a witness and causing the death of Sandra’s unborn son. 

The department’s own history sits underneath that prosecution. A 2022 internal investigation found that Farwell, his twin brother William, and former deputy chief Robert Devine had inappropriate relationships with Sandra. William Farwell and Devine have not been criminally charged in this case. 

Federal prosecutors have also criticized the original death investigation. Their court filings say local officers told the medical examiner there was “no foul play” within about an hour of finding Sandra. They did not compel Farwell’s DNA or seize his devices at the time. Years later, federal investigators reworked the same case and obtained evidence they say supports homicide, including DNA evidence tied to the strap at the scene. 

The defense says that evidence does not erase Sandra’s prior struggles. The prosecution says those struggles do not explain away the alleged staging. Jury selection is set for October 5, 2026. 

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This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. 

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