STOUGHTON, MA — Testimony continued Wednesday in the federal trial of former Stoughton police detective Matthew Farwell.
Massachusetts State Police Trooper Matthew Dunne testified about evidence collected from Birchmore's Canton apartment, interviews conducted after her death and investigators' decision not to initially classify the death as suspicious, according to the Boston Globe.
Prosecutors say Farwell killed the 23-year-old to prevent her from disclosing that he had groomed and sexually abused her beginning when she was 15, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The first set of witnesses took the stand Tuesday after a jury of 16 was finalized last week.
Farwell faces federal charges of killing a witness or victim and causing the death of a child in utero, according to a superseding indictment. Prosecutors claim Farwell strangled Birchmore in her apartment on Feb. 1, 2021, then staged the scene to appear as though she died by suicide.
Farwell's defense acknowledges that he had an affair with Birchmore but maintains that he did not kill her.
On Wednesday, prosecutors questioned State Police Trooper Matthew Dunne about gaps in the original investigation, including evidence that was not collected and an interview with Farwell that was neither recorded nor documented with notes, The Globe reported.
During cross-examination, Dunne testified that investigators found no signs of forced entry or a struggle in Birchmore's apartment. The defense also presented handwritten materials from 2017 concerning suicide, according to NBC10 Boston.
The trial is expected to last about five weeks. Farwell would face life in federal prison if convicted.
Editor's note: This story was last updated at 3:15 on Wednesday, Oct. 14, and will be updated with new information as the trial continues.
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