A federal judge has denied former Stoughton police detective Matthew Farwell's motion to dismiss the charges against him in the death of Sandra Birchmore — and the October 2026 trial is locked in.

Sandra Birchmore was 23 years old and three months pregnant when she was found dead in her Canton, Massachusetts apartment in February 2021. For years, her death was officially ruled self-inflicted. No charges. No trial. Just a closed file and a grieving family left with nothing but questions.

What investigators and prosecutors later uncovered is one of the most disturbing law enforcement abuse cases in recent memory. Farwell, a former Stoughton police officer, allegedly began a criminal sexual relationship with Birchmore in 2013 — when she was just 15 years old and he was a 26-year-old volunteer in the department's youth Explorer Program. That alleged exploitation continued for nearly a decade, reportedly including meetings for sex while Farwell was on active duty — hours he allegedly logged as legitimate police work.

He wasn't alone. Former Stoughton Deputy Chief Robert Devine — who oversaw the same Explorer Program Sandra joined at age 12 — has since been decertified by the state's Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission. Farwell's twin brother William also lost his law enforcement certification in Massachusetts.

Federal prosecutors allege Farwell learned that Sandra's friend had called the station to report the relationship just days before her death — and that the information was passed to him internally. He was the last known person to see her alive. Surveillance footage puts him entering and exiting her apartment building that night.

His defense called the federal indictment defective. The judge called it legally sound. The case moves to trial.

This is the full story — from the Explorer Program to the courtroom.

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