Closing arguments expected in trial of ex-cop accused of killing Sandra Birchmore

Closing arguments are set to commence on Friday in the trial of Matthew Farwell, a former Massachusetts police officer, who is accused of killing Sandra Birchmore, a pregnant woman. Prosecutors allege that Farwell killed Birchmore to prevent her from revealing their sexual relationship, which began when Birchmore was 15 years old.

Birchmore was found dead in her apartment in 2021, and while the official cause of death was initially ruled as suicide by the local medical examiner and police, it was later changed to "undetermined" by the state's medical examiner. Federal prosecutors argue that Farwell had a motive to kill Birchmore, as she was pregnant with what he believed to be his child.

The trial has been held in federal court in Boston, as local authorities did not pursue criminal charges in the case.