Farwell Defense Ends Case After Officer Declines Testimony

The trial of Matthew Farwell entered its closing phase on Wednesday when the defense team concluded its presentation. Farwell, a former Stoughton police officer facing murder charges, told Judge Denise Casper he would not take the stand. Speaking in a firm voice, Farwell stated, “At this time I do not elect to testify.”

Farwell is accused of killing 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore and her unborn child. Prosecutors allege he staged the death as a suicide by positioning her body in a chair with a strap around her neck tied to a doorknob. The state claims Farwell killed Birchmore to prevent her from exposing federal crimes, including the sexual exploitation of a child. Prosecutors assert he had been grooming her since she was 15 years old while she participated in the Stoughton Police Explorers program.

The defense maintains Birchmore took her own life. In their final arguments, defense attorneys attempted to weaken the prosecution’s case by focusing on the handling of digital evidence. Thousands of text messages between Farwell and Birchmore were recovered from her devices. A defense forensic expert testified that standard procedures were not followed when preserving Birchmore’s MacBook.

The defense highlighted Birchmore’s online activity before her death. They asked the expert what Birchmore did at 7:50 p.m. and 32 seconds on the night she died. The expert confirmed she searched for the color of the suicide ribbon. When asked how they knew she typed that specific query, the expert noted the entry triggered a complete search result.

During cross-examination, the prosecution pointed to the absence of a suicide note. The defense expert testified there were no goodbye messages to friends on Birchmore’s phone on the day she died. The jury will now hear closing arguments from both sides.