Sandra Birchmore Case: Judge Denies Dismissal — What Happens Next

The judge has spoken — Matthew Farwell's attempt to have federal charges against him thrown out has been denied. The October 2026 trial for the alleged killing of Sandra Birchmore and her unborn child is moving forward. If you're new to this case, here's what you need to know. Sandra Birchmore was 23 years old when she was found dead in her Canton, Massachusetts apartment in February 2021. She was three months pregnant. Local officials ruled her death self-inflicted and closed the file. The Norfolk District Attorney declined to bring charges. It wasn't until a federal investigation — driven in part by years of public pressure and advocacy — that the truth of what allegedly happened to Sandra began to surface. Federal prosecutors allege that former Stoughton police detective Matthew Farwell began grooming and sexually exploiting Birchmore in 2013, when she was 15 years old and enrolled in the department's Police Explorer Program. The alleged abuse continued for nearly a decade. Farwell is also accused of having sex with Birchmore while on duty and fraudulently logging those hours as police work. Two other men connected to the same department have faced consequences. Former Deputy Chief Robert Devine — who ran the Explorer Program Sandra joined at age 12 — was decertified by a state oversight board. Farwell's twin brother William also lost his law enforcement certification. Prosecutors say Farwell learned about a friend's tip to the department just days before Birchmore's death — and that the information was passed to him internally. Surveillance footage places him at her apartment building the night she was last seen alive. His defense called the federal indictment defective. The judge called it legally sound. Trial date: October 5, 2026. This video breaks down every layer of this case — the grooming, the alleged cover-up, the federal charges, and where things stand right now. Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel.    / @hiddenkillerspod   Instagram   / hiddenkillerspod   Facebook   / hiddenkillerspod   Tik-Tok   / hiddenkillerspod   X Twitter https://x.com/TrueCrimePod This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. #SandraBirchmore #MatthewFarwell #TrueCrime #FarwellTrial #SandraBirchmoreUpdate #JusticeForSandra #StoughtonPolice #TrueCrimeYouTube #PoliceMisconduct #FederalIndictment