On Tuesday, jurors returned for a third day of deliberations in the federal murder trial of former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell after reporting a deadlock late Monday.
When the jury, which is composed of eight men and four women, re-entered the courtroom on Tuesday morning, Chief U.S. District Judge Denise Casper encouraged jurors to take their time in deliberations.
Melissa Berry, an advocate with the group, Justice for Sandra Birchmore, said learning about the jury’s deadlock was a “gut punch,” but she’s trying to stay optimistic.
“There’s so much information for them to go through,” she told GBH News outside of the John Joseph Moakley Courthouse in Boston on Tuesday. “There’s over 30,000 emails and texts for them to look at. But we’re very hopeful and we’re optimistic that the jury will come back with a guilty verdict.”
Farwell is accused of strangling Birchmore and her unborn baby in 2021 and staging her death as a suicide.
Prosecutors allege that Farwell killed 23-year-old Birchmore to prevent her from exposing his alleged misconduct. Farwell is also charged with aggravated statutory rape against a 15-year-old, which prosecutors say occurred when Birchmore was participating in the Stoughton Police Explorer program, where Farwell was a police officer and instructor.
Farwell has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys maintained that Birchmore died by suicide after Farwell told her he wasn’t the father of her baby and ended their relationship inside her Canton apartment.
If found guilty, Farwell would face life in prison.
Judge Casper said jurors sent her two notes late Monday afternoon, with one asking about the day’s schedule and the other, which read “We are in a deadlock,” and that it isn’t expected to change “anytime soon.”
Casper responded to both notes on Tuesday, saying that the courthouse did not have the operational capacity to stay open past 6 p.m. She also told jurors that it’s typical for jurors to return each day to continue their deliberations, especially in criminal trials.
“I instruct that you should take the time that you need,” Casper said.
Berry said she’s hoping that jurors can reach a verdict on Tuesday. But beyond a guilty verdict, she hopes that others who were accused of being involved in abusing Birchmore will also face charges.
“I’m also hoping that the law enforcement officers who covered up this crime are also taken care of — at least they should lose their jobs,” she said. “But I think it’s beyond that, to me, it’s police corruption at its finest to cover up the murder of a young woman who was groomed by a police officer and abused by other police officers.”
If jurors do not reach a verdict by Tuesday, they will be expected to return on Thursday to continue deliberating.
