What Happened

Hours after a federal jury convicted Matthew Farwell in the deaths of Sandra Birchmore and her unborn child on November 10, 2026, a different question came back into focus. Why had the first local investigation not led to a murder charge?

The office of Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey issued a statement that evening. It acknowledged public criticism of how the case was handled. The office said the original finding by the medical examiner, which classified Sandra’s death as suicide, had limited its ability to pursue a state prosecution.

The statement also said local prosecutors sent the case to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office for another review, helped federal prosecutors and shared case materials publicly beginning in 2022. Morrissey’s office said it respected the federal jury’s decision.

Why It Matters

Sandra was 23 when she died in February 2021. The first investigation treated her death as suicide. Her family and others pressed for a closer look. Federal investigators later built a different case, and a jury has now convicted Farwell on two federal counts. That verdict shows why the path from an early death ruling to a later criminal investigation matters.

But the guilty verdict does not automatically decide whether each local official acted properly. Those are separate questions, with different evidence and possible reviews. It is important not to present an agency’s explanation as a finding that the early investigation was correct.

Go Deeper: A Dispute About Responsibility

Local news outlets, including Boston.com and Boston 25 News, reported that Morrissey’s office pointed to the medical examiner’s original suicide finding. The medical examiner later changed the official manner of death to undetermined, according to reporting on the federal proceedings.

Incoming Norfolk County District Attorney Djuna Perkins offered a different view. In an interview with WCVB, she said district attorneys have a duty to ask more questions if a death finding does not fit the available evidence. She said she intended to examine the matter closely. Her remarks are an announced position about oversight, not a new criminal charge against anyone.

The federal trial also brought scrutiny to how police gathered evidence and assessed the death scene. Reporting described testimony about messages, medical findings and earlier relationships with police officers. Some of that material had not been fully considered in the original investigation. The jury’s decision was about Farwell’s federal charges, not a separate case against the investigators.

What Happens Next?

Farwell faces sentencing proceedings in federal court, with February 3, 2027 reported as the next sentencing date. Any formal review of the original investigation must be reported on its own terms. We will look for official notices, released records and verified actions by the incoming district attorney, rather than treating calls for accountability as completed investigations.

Sandra’s loved ones spent years asking for answers. Their questions about the first investigation now have fresh attention, even as the federal conviction has settled the charges heard by that jury.