STOUGHTON, MA — The effort to seat a jury in the federal trial of former Stoughton police detective Matthew Farwell will move into its next phase Thursday.
Prospective jurors who completed questionnaires Tuesday were told to call the court Wednesday evening to learn whether they must return for individual questioning at the John J. Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston, according to Boston.com.
Farwell, 40, has pleaded not guilty to charges of killing a witness or victim and causing the death of a child in utero.
Federal prosecutors accused Farwell of strangling 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore in her Canton apartment in February 2021 and staging her death to look like a suicide. He is accused of killing Birchmore to prevent her from reporting that he had sexually abused her beginning when she was 15.
Birchmore was eight to 10 weeks pregnant when she died, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Chief U.S. District Judge Denise Casper and attorneys are seeking 12 jurors and four alternates, Boston.com reported. Opening statements could begin Friday if the court seats a jury.
The trial is expected to last about five weeks. Court will not be in session Monday because of Indigenous Peoples Day.
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