Former Massachusetts police officer Matthew Farwell was found guilty on Tuesday of 2021 killing Sandra Birchmore and causing the death of her unborn child.
\n\nFarwell was found guilty on Tuesday of both counts he faced on the second full day of deliberations.
\n\nBirchmore was pregnant at the time of her death, on Feb. 1, 2021, and she and Farwell had been in an extramarital relationship — Stoughton police have said it began when Birchmore was 15 and enrolled in the department’s police explorer program.
\n\nFarwell faced federal charges of killing a witness or victim and of violating a federal law protecting unborn children. He’s pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys have argued that Birchmore did in fact die by suicide.
\n\nThe jury began deliberating on Friday, the 19th day of the trial, which was held in Boston’s federal court. It featured testimony from Farwell’s twin brother, who admitted having extramarital sex with Birchmore when she was an adult and acknowledged that he’s been given immunity in exchange for testifying. Farwell declined to take the stand in his defense.
\n\nBirchmore’s death at her Canton apartment was initially ruled a suicide, but new scrutiny was placed on the case in 2022, when…
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business