Overview
- A federal grand jury on Oct. 28 returned a superseding indictment adding a count that Matthew Farwell caused the death of Birchmore’s unborn son under 18 U.S.C. §1841.
- Prosecutors allege Farwell strangled Birchmore on or about Feb. 1, 2021, then staged her Canton apartment to look like a suicide.
- The filing says he acted to prevent disclosure that he used his position to groom and sexually abuse Birchmore from about age 15, including while on duty.
- Farwell has pleaded not guilty and remains in federal custody, with trial scheduled for Oct. 5, 2026.
- The new count carries a mandatory life sentence, and the Justice Department must state by Jan. 20, 2026 whether it will seek capital punishment; DNA testing has excluded Farwell as the fetus’s father.