Former police officer accused of killing pregnant woman and staging it as a suicide

BOSTON (AP) — A former Massachusetts police officer pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of killing a woman he is accused of sexually exploiting when she was underage and then trying to stage the death as a suicide after she told him she was pregnant.

Matthew Farwell, 38, entered the plea during an initial appearance in federal court in Boston. He was handcuffed and led out of the room. A detention hearing is scheduled for Sept. 10.

Farwell was arrested at a shopping plaza in the city of Revere on Wednesday after he was indicted on charges he strangled Sandra Birchmore in early 2021 after she told him she was pregnant and he was the father. Birchmore was 23 years old.

Farwell killed Birchmore to prevent authorities from finding out details of his sexual offenses, according to allegations in the indictment.

Farwell worked as an officer for the police department in Stoughton, south of Boston, for 10 years, from 2012 until 2022. It wasn't immediately clear why he left the department.

Birchmore began participating in the police explorers program when she was 12 years old, according to the indictment in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts.

Court documents say that Farwell, who was a police explorers volunteer, used his authority and access to groom, sexually exploit and then sexually abuse Birchmore when she was 15 and that he continued to have sex with her when she became an adult.

“During some of the shifts when Farwell was supposed to be performing his duties as a Stoughton police officer, he was instead engaged in sex acts with Birchmore,” according to the indictment.

In late 2020, Birchmore found out she was pregnant and told Farwell, according to the indictment.

FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Stephen Kelleher said Birchmore was excited when she found out she was pregnant and texted Farwell a poster she made celebrating the pregnancy. She had also reached out to a friend about baby clothes and to a photographer about potential baby photos, according to Kelleher.

Kelleher called the allegations against Farwell “depraved.”

“Matthew Farwell’s gun and badge did not grant him authority to violate the constitution, and it certainly didn’t entitle him to sexually exploit, abuse, and rape a child before killing her and her unborn baby in an attempt to cover up his alleged crimes," he said.

Investigators also believed Farwell staged the apartment to make it look like she had died by suicide, Kelleher said.

The next month, a friend of Birchmore's called the Stoughton Police Department to tell them Farwell had been having sex with Birchmore.

Farwell strangled Birchmore on about Feb. 1, 2021, and then used his police knowledge to stage her apartment to make it look as though she had died by suicide, according to the indictment.

On some occasions, Farwell had been on duty when he sexually abused Birchmore as a minor and he falsely claimed certain work hours to hide that offending behavior, court documents say.

Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara said Wednesday that the department had worked with other agencies, including the FBI, to investigate.

“The day after Sandra Birchmore was found dead in her Canton apartment, I ordered a lengthy and aggressive internal affairs investigation, the instructions of which made it clear that no stone should be left unturned," McNamara said in a statement.

“The alleged murder of Sandra is a horrific injustice," McNamara said. "The allegations against the suspect, a former Stoughton Police Officer, represent the single worst act of not just professional misconduct but indeed human indecency that I have observed in a nearly three-decade career in law enforcement."

If convicted of killing a witness or victim, Farwell would face a minimum sentence of life in prison. Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy on Wednesday declined to comment on whether federal authorities would seek to impose the death penalty if Farwell is found guilty, saying the decision would be made by the Department of Justice in Washington.

Massachusetts has outlawed capital punishment.

Another hearing is scheduled for Oct. 17.

Perry reported from Meredith, New Hampshire.

This photo provided by the Stoughton, Mass., Police Department shows Matthew Farwell, a former police officer who pleaded not guilty Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, to charges of killing a woman he is accused of sexually exploiting when she was underage and then trying to stage the death as a suicide after she told him she was pregnant. (Stoughton Police Department via AP)

This photo provided by the Stoughton, Mass., Police Department shows Matthew Farwell, a former police officer who pleaded not guilty Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, to charges of killing a woman he is accused of sexually exploiting when she was underage and then trying to stage the death as a suicide after she told him she was pregnant. (Stoughton Police Department via AP)

Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy holds a news conference at the U.S. Attorney's office in Boston on Wednesday, Aug,. 28, 2024, about the arrest and charges of former Stoughton Police officer Matthew Farwell accused of killing Sandra Birchmore. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP)

Acting United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Joshua Levy, right, takes questions from reporters as FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Stephen Kelleher, left, looks on during a news conference Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, in Boston, held to announce the arrest of former Stoughton Police Detective Matthew Farwell on murder charges. (AP Photo/Steven LeBlanc)

FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Stephen Kelleher, left, and Acting United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Joshua Levy, right, face reporters during a news conference Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, in Boston, held to announce the arrest of former Stoughton Police Detective Matthew Farwell on murder charges. (AP Photo/Steven LeBlanc)

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi has replaced the armed forces chief and several other top military officers in a major reshuffle amid the ongoing fight against rebels in the country's eastern region, state media announced late Thursday.

The Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, Gen. Christian Tshiwewe, who has been in office since October 2022 during the last major shake-up, was replaced by Lt. Gen. Jules Banza Mwilambwe.

Congo’s military has been fighting more than 100 armed groups for years in the mineral-rich eastern region where the rebels are vying for a foothold in a conflict that has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. More than 7 million people have been displaced so far and hundreds were killed in the last year. Among the key actors is the M-23 rebel group, which Congo and United Nations peacekeepers have said is supported by neighboring Rwanda.

The state television report did not give reasons for the military reshuffle. Other key figures affected included Maj. Gen. Christian Ndaywel, who was the chief of military intelligence and among those involved in the peace talks with Rwanda.

The conflict in the region has worsened in the last year, with rebels claiming victories in new territories. Several territories in the region, particularly in the North Kivu province, are already under the control of the rebels.

Planned face-to-face peace talks between the leaders of Congo and Rwanda in Angola were canceled on Sunday with the Congolese presidency saying the Rwandan delegation refused to take part in the meeting while Rwanda’s government said it was postponed.

FILE - Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi speaks during a press conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, File)