Crime House Daily: Night Watch

Sandra Birchmore Part 2

Host: Katie Ring
Date: November 18, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode continues Crime House Daily’s deep-dive into the controversial and tragic case of Sandra Birchmore—a woman found dead in her Canton, Massachusetts apartment at age 23, three months pregnant. Host Katie Ring dissects the initial investigation, highlighting botched police work, possible cover-ups, missed evidence, and how Sandra’s family doubts the suicide ruling. The episode brings forward damning new details, text message evidence, and the revelation of systemic abuse involving multiple police officers.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Brief Recap & Episode Focus

• The episode recaps Part 1: Sandra Birchmore’s traumatic upbringing and abuse at the hands of Officer Matthew Farwell.
• Tonight’s focus: The botched first investigation, fast-tracked suicide ruling, and growing suspicions of a cover-up. (00:40)
• “It is the decade of exploitation and deceit and corruption that came before that.” – Katie Ring (00:51)

2. Timeline of Sandra’s Death and Initial Investigation

• Sandra is found dead in her Canton apartment in February 2021 (age 23, pregnant).
• Officer Matthew Farwell is accused of grooming Sandra from age 15 and later charged with her murder—arrested only three years after her death. (01:28, 01:54)
• Canton police quickly call her death a suicide, but several tips force them to re-examine the case. (03:46)

Suspicious Tips Leading to Reopening

• Sandra’s aunt informs police she was pregnant by Farwell.
• A neighbor says Sandra was dating an officer who threatened her over the pregnancy: “If Ms. Birchmore did not get an abortion, he would take care of the problem himself.” (04:34)
• The building manager reviews surveillance footage: A large, disguised man is caught entering and leaving Sandra’s building late at night—duration and behavior raise alarm. (05:09)

Questionable Police Response

• Second, more thorough search is ordered, but Trooper Dunn attributes signs of disturbance to Sandra’s supposed “messiness” and depression. (06:01)
• School resource officer claims Sandra had a “history of claiming she was pregnant when she actually wasn't,” undermining her credibility. (06:49)
• Critical missteps:
  • No signs of struggle allegedly found; suicide ruled almost immediately.
  • Medical examiner’s forms tick “No” to homicide and “Suicide” for manner and cause of death—before all evidence is gathered. (07:20)

3. Key Interview with Matthew Farwell

• Troopers interview Matthew two days later in an informal, unrecorded conversation—treatment that is “a courtesy a regular citizen…would never receive.” (9:51)
• Matthew gives several lies:
  • Claims he only slept with Sandra a couple of times when she was a legal adult; later, texts contradict this.
  • Denies being the baby’s father; texts and communication show otherwise.
  • Suggests Sandra had unstable mental health; Sandra’s hospital admission was due to family conflict, not suicidality. (10:45–11:22)
• Matthew initially consents to phone data extraction, then changes his mind, Googling, “Can deleted imessage be recovered by Cellebrite?” and “Can you revoke consent in Massachusetts?” (12:43–13:12)
• Forensics team retrieves 30,000+ texts from Sandra’s phone, confirming Matthew lied and that the relationship was sexual and exploitative from her teen years. (13:25)
• Chilling quote:
  • Sandra to Matthew: “Good, but I don’t think you’re gonna get what you want next time.”
  • Matthew: “Of course I will. I’ll just take it.” (14:01)

Police Reluctance & Possible Protections

• Matthew refuses DNA and polygraph; police accept this and drop the issue.
• Family grows convinced investigators are protecting a fellow officer; “If anything, the state police aren’t looking into his actions enough.” (15:31)

4. Family’s Pursuit of Evidence and Alternate Theories

• Sandra’s family visits her apartment post-investigation:
  • Finds laundry in progress—indicates she was going about normal routines.
  • Discovers “Congratulations, we are going to be parents” poster. (18:44)
  • Finds cherished necklace, snapped with Sandra’s hair caught in the chain; vital evidence missed by police.
• Suspicious detail:
  • Crime scene photos show Sandra wearing the necklace. Chain was broken, possibly during struggle or as body was moved. (19:15)
• Host: “It would be extremely unusual for a necklace clasp to break in a suicide like Sandra’s is believed to be.” (20:08)
• Hair entangled in ligature—women usually move hair aside in suicides.
• Medical examiner relied only on police photos sent days late and did not send an investigator to the scene, likely missing critical context. (20:52)

5. Failure to Pursue Charges & Systemic Patterns

• D.A.’s office won’t pursue statutory rape despite extremely explicit text evidence and family testimony.
• Larceny charges (misappropriating work time for sexual activity) considered but not filed. (21:40)
• Quote: “I’m not sure how explicit text messages laying out the timeline and family testimony wouldn’t be enough to put him in jail, but I digress.” – Katie Ring (22:22)

6. Systemic Abuse Uncovered

• Stoughton Police Department’s internal investigation exposes deeper abuse:
  • Several officers other than Matthew were involved with Sandra, including his twin brother, William Farwell, and mentor Robert Devine—who started the Police Explorers program.
• Quote:
  • “Matthew, William, and Robert took advantage of Sandra at every opportunity, and the depths of their abuse was about to be exposed.” (24:32)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It is the decade of exploitation and deceit and corruption that came before that.” – Katie Ring (00:51)
• “If Ms. Birchmore did not get an abortion, he would take care of the problem himself.” (quoted tip, 04:34)
• “Of course I will. I’ll just take it.” – Matthew Farwell, text to Sandra (14:01)
• “It would be extremely unusual for a necklace clasp to break in a suicide like Sandra’s is believed to be.” – Katie Ring (20:08)
• “Matthew, William, and Robert took advantage of Sandra at every opportunity…” – Katie Ring (24:32)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:40 – Recap of Part 1, overview of tonight’s focus: the suicide determination and possible cover-up.
• 03:46–08:19 – Detailed walkthrough of initial police investigation, tips, and on-scene actions.
• 09:51–15:31 – Police interview Matthew Farwell and collect vital electronic evidence.
• 18:44–21:40 – Sandra’s family finds new evidence, doubts case narrative.
• 21:40–24:52 – DA and law enforcement failure to act and the broadening revelation of other exploitative officers.

Summary and What’s Next

This episode built a devastating portrait of institutional failure around Sandra Birchmore’s death—highlighting irregularities in police procedure, evidence mishandling, and a pattern of overlooking or outright ignoring potential criminal charges against implicated officers. The episode concludes with the exposure of multiple exploitative relationships within the Stoughton Police Department, leaving listeners with a sense of scale for the corruption and abuse, and setting the stage for further revelations in Part 3.

Host: “What did you think of tonight's case? Drop your thoughts and theories in the comments and stay tuned for Part three." (24:44)

To follow:

• Next part in the series will further explore the system-wide abuse and complicity discovered in Sandra’s case.
• For updates, listeners are urged to follow Crime House Daily on YouTube and social media for real-time coverage.