Relatives of Sandra Birchmore say there has been a sense of relief since charges were brought against a former police detective in Stoughton, Massachusetts.
Birchmore died in February 2021, and while her death was initially ruled a suicide, her family and others have said she was killed. Matthew Farwell, who was a detective with the Stoughton Police Department, has been indicted by federal prosecutors who accuse him of strangling her and staging the scene to make it appear she had taken her own life.
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Farwell is among three former Stoughton officers who had inappropriate sexual relationships with Birchmore, who joined the Stoughton Police Explorers Academy as a 12-year-old in 2010. Farwell allegedly started a sexual relationship with her when she was 15.
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Speaking with NBC10 Boston Thursday, family members shared memories of Birchmore.
"She was hilarious," said her cousin, Colin Nee. "And she was smart as a whip, too."
He says it's been an emotional roller coaster since Farwell's arrest Wednesday.
"One of the first things that crossed my mind — it wasn't suicide," Nee said.
He also recalled the family learning about her relationship with Farwell when she was with the Explorers.
"A couple of years goes by, it slips out that she may or may not be having a relationship with one of the instructors. Family members are a little upset about it," Nee said.
Birchmore died after telling Farwell she was pregnant with his child. Nee's wife, Kellie, said Birchmore told her about the pregnancy, identifying Farwell as the father — adding that it wasn't the first time.
"We just all knew he was the father," Kellie Nee said. "She's talked about him for years."
Nee said Birchmore was first pregnant in 2019 with Farwell's baby, but lost the child.
"She had told me she had a miscarriage, and the father was a police officer," Nee recalled.
When Birchmore found out she was pregnant again, she was elated, Nee said.
"She was sad that she had the miscarriage, so when she finally got pregnant, and everything was going well — right before she passed away — she was just so ecstatic that she was finally going to be a mother," she said.
The family feels vindicated after Farwell's indictment.
"Just so, so happy that this — the truth has finally come to light, and that the FBI stepped in and did what they needed to do, and everyone involved is going to get their due justice," Nee said.
Others who knew Sandra Birchmore said they couldn't believe the initial ruling that her death was a suicide.
"The family members that I have spoken to all have believed that it wasn't suicide," Melissa "Mizzy" Berry, an organizer for Justice for Sandra Birchmore, told NBC10 Boston Wednesday. "They've always thought that she was murdered."
Michael Varner, of Maxx Training Center, taught her karate, and said she was a "vibrant" individual" with "a passion for life."
"Some kids may have had good days and bad days," he said. "Sandra always had a good day."
Stoughton Town Manager Tom Calter said he and the police chief have been working hard to reform the police department, which was first rocked by the scandal two years ago.
"The stain on this department won't be gone until justice is served, and everyone in this building is committed to justice for Sandra," Calter said.
He said he and Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara have told officers they should feel free to join any of the protests that have appeared outside the police station and stand side-by-side with demonstrators.
