Crime House Daily – Night Watch: Sandra Birchmore Part 4

Podcast: Crime House Daily
Host: Katie Ring
Date: November 20, 2025
Episode Theme:
This episode is part four of a five-part deep dive into the tragic and disturbing Sandra Birchmore case, focusing on systemic abuse, enabling, and corruption within the Stoughton, Massachusetts Police Department, primarily through the lens of its Police Explorers youth program. Host Katie Ring traces the decades-long patterns that allowed multiple officers to exploit their positions and prey on vulnerable teenagers like Sandra Birchmore for years—culminating in Sandra’s suspicious death and a sweeping internal affairs investigation.

Main Theme & Purpose

Katie Ring goes "back in time" to trace the deep-rooted dysfunction, abuse, and unchecked power within the Stoughton PD, investigating how the Police Explorers youth mentorship program became the breeding ground for Sandra Birchmore's exploitation and abuse. The episode exposes how trusted authority figures enabled and participated in a cycle of abuse, protected by flawed systems and misplaced community trust.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Police Explorers Program: Promise & Peril

• Origins: Started in 1973 as a coed offshoot of the Boy Scouts, designed to build trust and discipline between young people and police.
• Systemic Vulnerability: Reports of nearly 200 cases of sexual abuse—primarily targeting teenage girls—since its inception.
• Structural Flaws:
  • Oversight falls to local police departments, often involving accused abusers.
  • Officers are banned from socializing with youth outside the program, but enforcement is lax.
  • The national organization rarely severs ties with departments where abuse is reported.

"It's never the child's fault when an adult crosses the line. It's always the adult's responsibility to maintain boundaries and protect that child's trust. For those who have a hard time understanding this simple concept ... that's why we have laws." – Katie Ring [14:36]

Notable Quote

"Can you imagine how scary it would be for kids and families to have to report their abuse to the exact people who are perpetrating it?" – Katie Ring [07:50]

Robert Devine: A Mentor’s Double Life

• Started as a dedicated youth mentor and pillar of the community; rapidly rose to Stoughton PD Deputy Chief.
• Ran and reshaped the Police Explorers into a militaristic program.
• Founded additional youth programs and served as a school resource officer, deepening his access to minors.
• Developed a pattern of inappropriate relationships with girls in the Explorers.

The Case of Ashley Bell

• Ashley, 12, developed a crush on Devine.
• Devine privately comforted her after discovering he was engaged, crossing serious boundaries (isolation, physical contact, and suggestive promises).
• Ashley's mother discovered a love letter, confronted Devine, and threatened him, but no disciplinary action followed.
• The incident marked only the beginning of Devine’s troubling pattern; colleagues noted further boundary-pushing behavior.

"He grabs her hips, picks her up, sits her on a desk, looks deep into her eyes and says, 'You're a knockout. When you're 18, we're gonna go out together. I'm gonna take you out on a date.'" – Katie Ring [16:45]

• Repeated warnings and observations by colleagues failed to result in consequences—Devine remained in his position overseeing the program.

Matthew and William Farwell: Twin Proteges Turned Predators

• Troubled twins, Matthew and William Farwell, were recruited into the Explorers to instill discipline and structure.
• Their escalating interest in law enforcement included impersonating police and acting out control fantasies.
• Received second chances and unwavering support from Devine, including guidance, mentorship, and job recommendations despite red flags.
• Both eventually became police officers—Matthew with Stoughton PD, William after military service and National Guard—even as their erratic behavior continued.
• The tight-knit trio (Devine, Matthew, William) became role models and later, abusers.

"All [the Farwell family] cared about was one thing—the same dream Sandra Birchmore would later fall short of—becoming officers with the Stoughton PD." – Katie Ring [32:41]

Abuse, Escalation, and Sandra’s Tragic End

• Sandra Birchmore joined the Explorers at 12, idolizing the authority figures that would ultimately abuse her.
• As an adult, Sandra maintained relationships with all three men:
  • Her "boyfriend" Matthew Farwell (married at the time).
  • Had a close friendship-turned-sexual relationship with William.
  • Engaged in a sexual relationship with Robert Devine, her former childhood mentor.
• The dynamics grew increasingly exploitative and perverse:
  • William asked Sandra to record sexual encounters with both himself and Matthew.
  • Robert Devine, after career-damaging personal scandals, created a fake Facebook profile ("Marty Riggs") to facilitate secretive sexual communications and rendezvous with Sandra—even on duty.
• Attorneys for Sandra’s family described her as being "passed around like a toy" ([46:31]).

Quote

"Sandra was vulnerable. Matthew exploited that vulnerability and groomed her, then got his twin brother and mentor to abuse her as well. ... As soon as Sandra started to take back control, she died under extremely suspicious circumstances." – Katie Ring [47:48]

• All three men remained in close contact with Sandra on the day she died. Surveillance and digital evidence suggest their direct involvement or knowledge.

Culture of Impunity

• Despite persistent red flags, known incidents, and hard evidence of inappropriate and sometimes criminal conduct, Devine and the Farwell twins repeatedly avoided accountability.
• Internal affairs only moved after Sandra’s suspicious death and revelations about systematic grooming and sexual abuse.

"But behind their shining facades, all three men have major red flags about their behavior, to say the least. And yet they're all allowed to continue in positions of power, especially where kids are involved. That created the perfect breeding ground for Sandra Birchmore's abuse." – Katie Ring [39:56]

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:55 | Recap of case: Internal affairs launched after discovery of grooming by Matthew Farwell and suspicions surrounding Sandra’s death. | | 05:50 | Exploration of the Police Explorers Program and its systemic vulnerabilities. | | 13:30 | Detailed account of the Ashley Bell incident and Devine’s established pattern of inappropriate conduct. | | 21:05 | Farwell twins’ backgrounds and entry into law enforcement through Explorers program. | | 31:42 | Aftermath of the twins' army experiences and their integration into Stoughton PD with Devine’s help. | | 37:35 | Sandra’s adult relationships with Matthew, William, and Robert; escalation of abuse. | | 46:12 | Family attorney’s descriptions: “passed her around like a toy.” | | 48:00 | Recap: All three men had contact with Sandra before her death—implications for the ongoing investigation. |

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the system’s failure:

  "But despite the fact that most people know he was inappropriate with these kids, he receives zero consequences." – Katie Ring [20:50]

• On Sandra’s vulnerability:

  "They should have provided her with the support and stability she needed, but instead, they focused on their own desires." – Katie Ring [47:12]

• Summing up the culture of cover-ups:

  "By the time the investigation was over, none of them would be ever again [allowed to serve as police officers]. And that was just the start of it." – Katie Ring [48:22]

Tone & Style

Katie Ring reports with a blend of analytical detachment, advocacy for victims, and indictment of cultural and institutional failures. She channels survivor empathy, outrage at systemic abuses, and a factual, unflinching narrative style.

Conclusion

This episode highlights how supposedly well-intentioned youth programs became pipelines for abuse when placed under the exclusive control of unchecked officers. Sandra Birchmore’s case emerges as both a personal tragedy and an emblem of broader institutional decay, showing how predators can thrive in systems built on deference and inadequate oversight. With compelling real-life vignettes, chilling reenactments of abuse, and urgent commentary, this installment exposes the very foundation that allowed Sandra’s victimization—and death—to occur.

Next Episode:
The series finale promises to cover Sandra's death, the federal case against Matthew Farwell, and what, if any, justice will emerge.

For more:
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