A former police detective was arrested by a SWAT team Wednesday after being accused of grooming an underage girl, forcing her into a years-long abusive relationship then murdering her when she became pregnant.
Matthew Farwell could face the federal death penalty if found guilty of strangling Sandra Birchmore to death to cover up his abuse.
Birchmore was 23 and three months pregnant when she was found dead in her Canton, Massachusetts apartment in February 2021. Her death was initially ruled a suicide but an FBI investigation prompted by her family hiring their own forensic examiner led to Wednesday’s charges against Farwell.
