Dozens of supporters of Sandra Birchmore marched from the town hall to the police department in Stoughton, Massachusetts, on Saturday, as organizers say they hope these monthly standouts will keep attention on her case.
Birchmore's supporters, wearing blue and white, say they want her to have a voice because she didn't have one for the more than three years that her death was originally ruled a suicide.
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"All I knew is, I didn't want it to be swept under the rug and forgotten, cause Sandra's not alone," Birchmore's cousin Barb Wright said.
“There's a small army behind Sandra saying that this is not right," said Melissa "Mizzy" Berry, a Justice for Sandra Birchmore organizer, who said the standouts are a chance for them to hold signs and let the public know they’re there.
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"And to look up Sandra’s name and figure out what’s going on with her case,” Berry added.
"Nobody in my community knew about this," said Stoughton resident Patricia McCormack. "Her death occurred in Canton but her life and the grooming and the abuse she endured...all began here in our community."
Federal investigators say Officer Matthew Farwell got Birchmore pregnant, killed her and then staged her Canton apartment to look like a suicide in February 2021.
“Finally, the FBI stepped up and got him and now he’s in jail right now awaiting trial,” Berry said.
Farwell was arrested by the feds in August. According to an internal investigation by the Stoughton Police Department, Farwell was one of three officers accused of having inappropriate sexual relations with Birchmore starting when she was just 15 years old.
"For this to disgrace the uniform and the good cops that are out there is absolutely embarrassing and horrific," said Peter Murphy, a former Canton police sergeant.
“Just because Matthew Farwell was arrested, doesn’t mean that’s the end of the case," Berry said. "People need to know that this case is still ongoing.”
Between Birchmore and the high-profile Karen Read case, supporters say they have a lot of questions about local law enforcement -- but not many answers.
"Why the FBI had to go after and get Matthew Farwell, why didn’t Michael Morrissey’s office and why didn’t the Massachusetts State Police unit under him get Matthew Farwell?” asked Berry.
The next hearing in Birchmore's case is scheduled for December.
DA Morrissey's office did not immediately respond to NBC10 Boston's request for comment.
