On the third day of testimony in the Matthew Farwell trial, Sandra Birchmore’s closest friend told jurors that Birchmore called her pregnancy “maybe the happiest time in her life,” and that she did not seem depressed or suicidal after a fight in which, Birchmore told her, Farwell pushed her to the ground. Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara testified about the department’s internal investigation and a January 2021 phone call to the station. And a State Police digital examiner told jurors that when Farwell’s phone was searched days after Birchmore’s death, the search was limited to text messages between the two, and none were found.
Thursday, October 15, 2026, brought five witnesses. Farwell, a former Stoughton police detective, is charged in federal court with killing Birchmore, 23, and her unborn child in February 2021 and staging the scene as a suicide. He has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent. This account is drawn from NBC10 Boston, Boston 25 News, WCVB, 7News and Boston.com.
Sgt. Robert Kuhn, continued
Kuhn, a Stoughton sergeant who began testifying Wednesday, returned to the stand in the morning.
- The mask. Prosecutors showed him a screenshot of Farwell wearing a mask in the lobby of Birchmore’s building on February 1, 2021. Kuhn said that was odd because Farwell “despised” masks during the pandemic, WCVB and NBC10 reported. He said he recognized Farwell anyway, from his height and clothing, NBC10 reported, and Boston.com added his gait.
- Late 2020. Kuhn testified that Farwell seemed stressed, was taking a lot of phone calls, and that his drinking was “excessive,” Boston 25 and WCVB reported.
- The 2019 conference. Kuhn said he attended a homicide conference with Farwell in 2019 that included a session titled “Perspective of Chief Medical Examiner,” NBC10 reported.
- On cross. Kuhn said he took Birchmore on one or two ride-alongs and saw her about 60 times a school year as a resource officer. He said there was no specific policy, but that it would be “unbecoming” for an officer to swap phone numbers with a minor, NBC10 reported. Boston 25 reported that he denied telling the FBI in a March 20, 2026 interview that he had never seen a suicide in his career.
- “Crush.” Under cross-examination, Kuhn acknowledged telling a member of the government before taking the stand, “I can’t wait to crush this motherf****r,” Boston.com reported. On redirect, he said his friendship with Farwell ended the minute he learned of the allegations, NBC10 reported.
Lesley Davis: “the happiest time in her life”
Davis, an accountant from Attleboro, met Birchmore in middle school; “We were pretty much like best friends,” she said, according to Boston 25. Her testimony, as reported by Boston.com, WCVB, 7News and NBC10:
- Birchmore told her about the relationship with Farwell “almost immediately” after it began, when Birchmore was in the Explorers program, Boston.com reported. “She said that he was someone who would always help her with her homework and he paid a lot of attention to her,” Davis said. 7News reported that Davis said Birchmore was 15 when she told her about Farwell.
- Birchmore described sexual encounters in Farwell’s police cruiser and his truck, and “rough sex” that included “stuff like choking,” Davis testified, according to Boston.com and WCVB.
- Birchmore told Davis she was pregnant in late 2020 and asked her to be the godmother. “It seemed like it was maybe the happiest time in her life,” Davis said. Birchmore had a crib and was buying things for the baby, WCVB reported; the last time Davis saw her, she gave her a stroller.
- Birchmore told her about a fight with Farwell over whether he would sign the birth certificate, in which, she said, he pushed her to the ground before she kicked him out of the apartment. Asked whether Birchmore seemed suicidal afterward, Davis said no, WCVB reported.
- Davis said she and Birchmore spoke for about 25 minutes that evening, around 8 p.m. according to Boston 25 and 8:30 p.m. according to Boston.com, on February 1, 2021, the night prosecutors say she was killed. Boston 25 reported Davis said she cannot remember anything from that call; Boston.com reported she did not remember anything odd about it.
- After Birchmore was found dead, Davis went to the Canton Police Department and told police about Farwell, she testified.
- Jurors were shown a photo of Birchmore wearing her flamingo necklace, which Davis said she “always wore.” On Wednesday, a trooper testified the necklace was found broken at the scene.
On cross, the defense focused on Davis’s own anxiety and the ups and downs of the friendship, including a New Year’s Day 2021 text in which Davis said she was getting anxious because Birchmore kept calling and texting, NBC10 reported. Davis said she remembered seeing cut marks on Birchmore but did not know whether they came from a suicide attempt, and Boston.com reported she said she never knew Birchmore to self-harm after they became friends. Asked whether Birchmore told her she enjoyed the rough sex, Davis answered, “Yes,” 7News reported.
Chief Donna McNamara
McNamara, who is on paid administrative leave amid a separate dispute with Stoughton’s town manager, testified after Davis. On Wednesday, prosecutors told Judge Denise Casper they would steer clear of that litigation, NBC10 reported. Her testimony, as reported:
- She joined the department as a patrol officer in 2001 and was chief when Birchmore died. She remembered Birchmore from the Explorers as looking “very tiny” and “younger than every other participant,” Boston.com reported.
- Stoughton did not investigate the death because it was not in its jurisdiction, but opened an internal affairs investigation with Farwell as a subject, she testified. WCVB reported she said referrals were made to the POST Commission and the district attorney’s office; 7News reported referrals to the district attorney’s office and the FBI.
- Much of her testimony covered Farwell’s attendance and duty logs. Prosecutors allege he met Birchmore for sex while on duty. McNamara testified officers are not permitted to have sex while on duty, Boston.com reported.
- The January 20, 2021 call. Prosecutors walked her through the station’s call logs for January 20, 2021, when, they say, a friend of Birchmore’s called to report the relationship. The call lasted about three minutes and the caller was placed on hold twice, Boston.com reported. McNamara said she did not know about the call in 2021 and learned of it in spring 2024, from the FBI, Boston 25 reported. Prosecutors allege Farwell began planning the killing after that call.
- On cross, the defense asked about allegations that Explorers were pepper sprayed; McNamara said she was not aware of any such incident and would not have approved it. She testified that Birchmore contacted her in 2018 about a license to carry a firearm and that she did not help her get one, Boston 25 reported.
Trooper Nicholas Guarino: the phones and the laptop
Guarino, a retired State Police digital forensic examiner who also testified in the Karen Read and Brian Walshe trials, described extracting data from Birchmore’s iPhone, an older phone and her laptop, NBC10 and WCVB reported.
- Farwell’s phone. On February 9, 2021, Guarino performed an extraction on Farwell’s iPhone at the request of Fanning, the State Police supervisor on the case, whom Boston 25 identified as Lt. Fanning. He was directed to limit his search to text messages between Farwell and Birchmore, found none, and the phone was returned to Farwell the same day, according to NBC10 and Boston 25.
- The laptop. Guarino testified that after the laptop was extracted, he saw Fanning using it and scrolling through the report of text messages, Boston 25 reported.
- The missing first extraction. On cross, the defense asked why Guarino does not have the first extraction of the laptop, done in February 2021 and known as a “black bag” extraction. Asked whether it would have been impossible to retain it, Guarino answered, “No,” Boston 25 reported.
The limited search of Farwell’s phone connects to a dispute the two sides have litigated before trial. Prosecutors say the defense has shifted its position on what Farwell consented to when he handed over the phone in 2021; the defense says the consent form, which covered anything “related to the death of Sandra Birchmore,” has always governed, WCVB has reported. Neither side’s argument on that point was reported as being made to the jury Thursday.
Chief Brian Holmes
The last witness reported was Brian Holmes, now Kingston’s police chief and a former Stoughton deputy chief who served in Stoughton from 1997 until March 2024. He testified that Explorer program records were “haphazard,” kept under his predecessor’s desk and incomplete, and that the records show Farwell taught firearm safety and explosives courses that Birchmore attended at least once, NBC10 reported. Asked about Birchmore, he said she was “a very nice kid,” adding that he “got the impression she was a little off, a little special needs.”
What the day added
The government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Farwell killed Birchmore; the defense does not have to prove suicide. Thursday’s prosecution witnesses addressed motive and state of mind: a friend who described Birchmore as happy about the pregnancy and not suicidal, and a chief who described the January 2021 call that prosecutors say set events in motion. The defense used cross-examination to point to Birchmore’s history of self-harm, the friend’s account of a turbulent friendship, and gaps in what investigators preserved, including the first laptop extraction. The trial is expected to last about five weeks.
Frequently asked questions
Who testified on day 3 of the Farwell trial?
Stoughton Sgt. Robert Kuhn (continuing), Birchmore’s friend Lesley Davis, Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara, retired State Police digital examiner Nicholas Guarino, and Kingston Police Chief Brian Holmes, a former Stoughton deputy chief.
What did Birchmore’s friend say about her state of mind?
Lesley Davis testified that Birchmore was excited about the pregnancy, asked her to be the godmother, and did not seem suicidal after a fight in which Birchmore said Farwell pushed her to the ground. On cross, Davis said she had seen cut marks on Birchmore but did not know whether they were from a suicide attempt.
Was Farwell’s phone searched in 2021?
Yes, on February 9, 2021, according to testimony from Trooper Nicholas Guarino. The search was limited to text messages between Farwell and Birchmore, none were found, and the phone was returned to Farwell the same day.
What was the January 20, 2021 call?
Prosecutors say a friend of Birchmore’s called the Stoughton Police Department that day to report the relationship. Chief McNamara testified the call lasted about three minutes and that she did not learn of it until spring 2024.
Sources: NBC10 Boston, Boston 25 News and Boston.com live coverage, October 15, 2026; WCVB and 7News WHDH, October 15, 2026. Quotations are as reported by those outlets; where they differ, we say so. Matthew Farwell has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent. General information, not legal advice.