“This is absolutely diabolical behavior.” That is how U.S. Attorney Leah Foley described Matthew Farwell at the news conference her office held after a federal jury convicted the former Stoughton police detective of killing Sandra Birchmore and her unborn son on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, WCVB and NBC10 Boston reported.
Foley laid out how the government says Farwell groomed Birchmore, why he killed her, and what he did 12 hours later. The FBI’s top agent in Boston said no badge puts anyone above the law. And when reporters asked whether anyone else covered up the killing, Foley said that was not hers to answer. Here is what was said, and what it means for what happens next.
“He silenced Sandra by murdering her”
- The motive. “He needed to silence Sandra to prevent his crimes from coming to light. He silenced Sandra by murdering her,” Foley said, according to WCVB. NBC10 quoted her saying, “Farwell was boxed into a corner.”
- The grooming. Farwell should have been a trusted figure in Birchmore’s life through the Stoughton Police Department’s Explorers program, but he “wasted no time beginning to groom Sandra,” Foley said, NBC10 reported. When Birchmore wanted to “start a new chapter in her life,” Farwell “feared she would tell others that he had sex with her while she was underage,” Foley said.
- Twelve hours later. Foley described as “absolutely diabolical behavior” that Farwell killed Birchmore and then, about 12 hours later, cut the umbilical cord of his third child with his wife, “believing he, quite literally, had gotten away with murder,” NBC10 reported. WCVB also quoted the “absolutely diabolical behavior” line.
- The evidence. “Through the testimony of friends and experts, through thousands of text messages and photos, what happened to Sandra Birchmore is no longer Mr. Farwell’s secret,” Foley said in remarks NBC10 published. “He now faces life in federal prison. Justice has indeed been served.”
- Birchmore. “By all accounts, she was a caring and loving person. Sandra did not deserve this. When you think of her, I hope you recall the girl full of love, life and hope. And that is what Sandra deserves,” Foley said, according to WCVB. NBC10 reported she described a young woman who was excited about becoming a mother and about becoming a nurse.
The FBI: “No badge, no title, no position”
Ted Docks, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston office, spoke at the same news conference, NBC10 reported. “Justice requires persistence, not deference, not convenience, and certainly not the protection of those who wear the badge and misuse their authority,” Docks said. “No badge, no title, no position places anyone above the law.”
The FBI began looking at Birchmore’s death in 2023, two years after state investigators concluded it was a suicide, according to NBC10.
The question Foley would not answer
When questions turned to anyone other than Farwell, Foley kept her answers narrow, according to NBC10:
- A cover-up? Asked whether she believes there was a cover-up, Foley said she had been referring to Farwell’s. Errors in another investigation, she said, are “not for me to comment on today.”
- Other prosecutors. Her office brought all the charges it felt it could prosecute, Foley said, adding: “What happens in other offices is up to them.”
- Credit. She credited Brian Holmes, now the police chief in Kingston, with helping start the federal investigation. NBC10 reported an earlier internal affairs investigation of Farwell was led by a former Stoughton deputy chief who later urged the FBI to look at the case.
- State Police. She said she has “all the confidence” in the head of the Massachusetts State Police, Col. Geoffrey Noble.
That restraint matters because federal prosecutors were far less restrained at trial. They “harshly criticized the initial police investigation,” saying officers did not follow leads and closed the case too quickly, NBC10 reported. Investigators interviewed Farwell for 15 minutes in a parking lot, took no notes, did not examine him for injuries and did not take his DNA, federal investigators said, according to NBC10.
The Norfolk DA responds
Birchmore’s family thanked federal prosecutors and criticized Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey’s office for not bringing a case, NBC10 reported. “It shouldn’t have come to this. The state should have done it,” a cousin said.
Morrissey’s office answered in a statement NBC10 published in full. The office “recognizes the criticism it has received for its handling of this case,” the statement said, but “its ability to prosecute was constrained by the finding of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) that the manner of death was suicide.” The office said it referred the case to the Attorney General’s Office, worked with federal prosecutors, helped fund “the development of additional evidence,” and made its case file public beginning in October 2022.
The statement does not say whether the office plans to pursue charges, NBC10 noted. The medical examiner’s office has since changed Birchmore’s manner of death from suicide to “undetermined,” WCVB reported.
Morrissey did not run for reelection. His successor, Djuna Perkins, takes office in January and wants to look at accountability in the State Police detective units assigned to district attorneys’ offices, possibly by limiting how long a trooper works in one office, NBC10 reported. “So that you have enough time to be able to collaborate and develop good working relationships, but not so close that you become blind to misconduct,” Perkins said.
What the verdict form says
WCVB published the one-page verdict form, filed November 10 as Document 401 in United States v. Farwell, No. 1:24-cr-10259-DJC. We read it. The jury checked “Guilty” on both counts, and the foreperson signed the certification that it was “the unanimous verdict of the jury.”
- Count One was killing a witness or victim with intent to prevent a communication to a federal law enforcement officer about a federal offense, 18 U.S.C. § 1512(a)(1)(C).
- Count Two cites 18 U.S.C. § 1841(a)(1), (a)(2)(A) and (a)(2)(C). We read § 1841 at govinfo.gov. Subsection (a)(2)(C) applies when a person “intentionally kills or attempts to kill the unborn child,” and says that person shall be punished under the federal homicide statutes, sections 1111, 1112 and 1113, “for intentionally killing or attempting to kill a human being.” Subsection (a)(2)(D) bars the death penalty.
The form does not ask jurors to choose between first- and second-degree murder. WCVB reported Farwell faces an automatic sentence of life in prison. Foley said he “now faces life in federal prison.”
What happens next
- Sentencing. February 3, 2027, Boston 25 News reported. WCVB also reported February 3, and NBC10 said early February, almost exactly six years after Birchmore was killed.
- Post-trial motions. The defense has 14 days from the verdict to move for acquittal or a new trial under Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure 29 and 33. No defense statement had been reported as of Wednesday evening.
- Juror names. The clerk’s office had not decided whether to release the jury lists, NBC10 reported.
- The civil suit. Birchmore’s estate has sued the Town of Stoughton, Farwell and others, NBC10 has reported.
Frequently asked questions
What did the U.S. Attorney say after the Farwell verdict?
Leah Foley called Farwell’s conduct “absolutely diabolical behavior” and said he killed Birchmore to keep his crimes from coming to light. She said he now faces life in federal prison, WCVB and NBC10 Boston reported.
Did Foley say there was a cover-up?
Asked about a cover-up, Foley said she had been referring to Farwell’s own. She said errors in another investigation were “not for me to comment on today,” NBC10 reported.
Why didn’t the Norfolk DA charge Farwell?
The office said its ability to prosecute was constrained by the medical examiner’s finding that the death was a suicide. It did not say whether it plans charges now, NBC10 reported.
When is Matthew Farwell’s sentencing?
February 3, 2027, according to Boston 25 News and WCVB.
Did the jury find first- or second-degree murder?
The verdict form only asked guilty or not guilty on each count. It did not ask the jury to pick a degree of murder.
Sources: WCVB and Boston 25 News, November 10, 2026; NBC10 Boston, November 10 and 11, 2026. Verdict form, United States v. Farwell, No. 1:24-cr-10259-DJC, Doc. 401 (D. Mass. Nov. 10, 2026), as published by WCVB. 18 U.S.C. § 1841, read at govinfo.gov. General information, not legal advice.