Defense Challenges Strangling Theory in Farwell Trial
Expert witnesses argue forensic evidence supports hanging, while digital records raise questions about data collection methods.
By David Almasi ·
The defense in the Matthew Farwell murder trial will close its case on Wednesday with testimony challenging the prosecution's claim that the victim was strangled.
Farwell, 41, faces charges for the death of Sandra Birchmore, 23, whose body was found in a Canton apartment on Feb. 4, 2021. Prosecutors allege the former Stoughton police detective killed Birchmore to prevent her from revealing a criminal sexual relationship they began when she was 15 and he was 27. Farwell has pleaded not guilty, maintaining that Birchmore died by suicide after a long history of mental illness. The defense team, led by lawyers seeking an acquittal, has called expert witnesses to dispute the medical and digital evidence presented by the state.
Dr. Thomas Andrew, a forensic pathologist and New Hampshire's former chief medical examiner, is scheduled to take the stand. His testimony is expected to counter the findings of Dr. William Smock, an emergency medicine physician who concluded Birchmore was strangled. Smock pointed to a fracture in Birchmore's right hyoid bone as key evidence. He noted that the hyoid is flexible in people under 30 and rarely fractures in partial hangings. Andrew asserts the fracture is consistent with hanging and suggests it may have occurred postmortem because Dr. María Del Mar Capó-Martínez, the original pathologist, did not detect hemorrhage in the bone. Capó-Martínez initially ruled the death a hanging but later amended the certificate to asphyxia without determining the manner of death. Andrew also plans to argue that a chest abrasion was caused by involuntary muscle spasms during asphyxiation, rather than by the lobster claw clasp on the duffel bag strap as Smock claimed.
Daniel Loper, a digital forensics expert, will also testify. Prosecution experts stated that Birchmore's cellphone stopped recording movement three minutes before Farwell left her apartment building on Feb. 1, 2021. Loper is expected to argue that the data does not identify who was holding the device when the recording stopped. He will also cite research questioning the reliability of iPhone step counts. Additionally, Loper will criticize law enforcement for manually reviewing data on Birchmore's laptop, a process the defense says changed the data and violated industry standards for digital evidence collection.
Closing statements for both sides are scheduled for Friday morning. The jury will then deliberate on the evidence regarding the manner of Birchmore's death and the handling of her digital records.
