The jury in the federal murder trial of Matthew Farwell has heard its last witness. The defense rested shortly before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, Boston 25 News reported, without the former Stoughton police detective taking the stand. Closing arguments are expected Friday.
Farwell is charged with killing Sandra Birchmore, 23, who was pregnant, in her Canton apartment on February 1, 2021, and staging her death as a suicide. Prosecutors allege he killed her to keep her from exposing federal crimes, including sexually abusing her when she was 15. The defense has argued she took her own life. He has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent.
Here is what happened on the last day of testimony, drawn from reporting by NBC10 Boston, WCVB, MassLive, WHDH and Boston 25.
“At this time I elect not to testify”
While the jury was at lunch, Chief U.S. District Judge Denise Casper asked Farwell’s lawyers whether they had discussed testifying with him. They said he had decided not to. The judge then asked Farwell directly whether he understood, and he said, “Yes, I do,” NBC10 reported.
Outlets reported his answer slightly differently. NBC10 quoted him as saying, “At this time I elect not to testify.” MassLive reported, “At this time, I would not like to testify,” and WHDH reported, “At this time I do not elect to testify.” The judge gave him until the moment the defense formally rested to change his mind, MassLive reported. He did not.
Under the Fifth Amendment, prosecutors cannot comment on his silence in Friday’s closings, and on request the judge must tell jurors not to hold it against him. What the jury will be told about his decision.
The digital expert: what the phones and laptop show
The defense’s digital forensics expert, Daniel Loper, testified for most of the morning.
- The ribbon search. Loper said Birchmore physically typed the full phrase “what color is the suicide ribbon,” rather than having it suggested by autocomplete, NBC10 and MassLive reported. NBC10 placed the search at 7:50 a.m. on February 1, 2021, after purple ribbon images were cached at 7:48 and 7:49 a.m.; WHDH reported the time as 7:50 p.m.
- The laptop. He testified that investigators did not follow best practices in preserving Birchmore’s MacBook Pro, that the first extraction of its data was lost, and that the laptop was not recovered until February 9, eight days after her death, so he cannot say what was on it at the time, according to NBC10 and WHDH.
- The steps. He said he saw at least one instance in which her phone recorded no steps while she was moving, MassLive reported, a point aimed at the government’s evidence that her phone recorded its last steps at 9:40 p.m. that night.
- The messages. He said Birchmore sent far more messages than Farwell sent back, and that Farwell had blocked her number at times, though not on February 1, when they texted, NBC10 and WCVB reported.
On cross-examination, prosecutors had Loper confirm that there was no suicide note and no goodbye messages to friends on her phone that day, WHDH reported. He also acknowledged that Farwell gave State Police his personal phone with no messages to Birchmore on it, even though her phone showed tens of thousands of exchanges between them, according to NBC10. And he walked through the timeline: her phone last locked at 9:13 p.m., Farwell arrived at 9:14, her phone recorded its last steps at 9:40, and Farwell left after that.
The judge refuses a lost-evidence instruction
With the jury out, the defense asked Judge Casper to instruct jurors that they could hold the lost laptop data against the government, arguing investigators were grossly negligent. Prosecutors said nothing was lost through negligence and that the laptop’s hard drive crashed. The judge said she did not think the prosecution had shown bad faith regarding the laptop, and certainly not gross negligence, and denied the instruction, NBC10 reported.
The pathologist: “hanging,” manner “undetermined”
The final witness was Dr. Thomas Andrew, New Hampshire’s chief medical examiner for 20 years, who said he has performed about 5,800 to 6,000 autopsies. According to NBC10:
- He gave his opinion that the cause of death was hanging and the manner undetermined, saying it is not good practice to guess on manner of death.
- Asked whether the autopsy findings favor suicide, he said yes. Prosecutors objected and moved to strike, but the judge allowed the answer.
- He said the hyoid bone fracture was consistent with a seated hanging, and that because there was no hemorrhaging at the site, it could have happened after death.
- He said he saw no fingernail scratch marks and no evidence of manual strangulation.
The cross-examination was “very testy, almost an argument,” NBC10 reported. Andrew acknowledged he was paid by the defense, that his report said he would certify the manner of death as undetermined and could not rule out suicide, and that a broken hyoid bone is consistent with strangulation. He agreed a hanging can be arranged after death, and that if the totality of the evidence pointed to homicide, no medical evidence would contradict that. He also conceded Wednesday was the first time he had seen or handled the ligature in person, which he said did not change his opinion.
What happens next
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Thursday, November 5 | No jury. The judge reviews exhibits with both sides. |
| Friday, November 6 | Closing arguments: 75 minutes for the prosecution, 90 for the defense, 15 for the prosecution’s rebuttal, then deliberations |
The schedule is from NBC10. Boston 25 reported the defense had called 10 witnesses before Wednesday’s final two, and prosecutors called nearly 40. The Boston Globe has reported that Farwell faces life in federal prison if convicted.
Frequently asked questions
Did Matthew Farwell testify?
No. He told the judge on November 4, 2026, that he would not testify, and the defense rested shortly before 5 p.m. without calling him.
When are closing arguments in the Farwell trial?
Friday, November 6, 2026. The jury is not in court Thursday.
What did the defense pathologist conclude?
Dr. Thomas Andrew said the cause of death was hanging and the manner undetermined, and that the autopsy findings favor suicide. On cross-examination he acknowledged he could not rule out homicide and that a broken hyoid bone is consistent with strangulation, NBC10 reported.
Why did the judge refuse the lost-evidence instruction?
She said she did not think the prosecution had shown bad faith regarding Birchmore’s laptop, and certainly not gross negligence, according to NBC10.
Sources: NBC10 Boston live coverage, November 4, 2026; MassLive, November 4, 2026; WHDH, November 4, 2026; WCVB, November 4, 2026; Boston 25 News, November 4, 2026; Boston Globe, November 3, 2026 (potential sentence). Quoted testimony is as reported by those outlets. General information, not legal advice.