Decades-Old Death Certificate Altered Ahead of Ex-Cop's Murder Trial

A Massachusetts death certificate for Sandra Birchmore has been amended, nearly four decades after her death. The changes come as her former partner, ex-police officer Matthew Farwell, faces trial for her killing. Prosecutors claim he murdered her in 1986 after she revealed she was pregnant with his child. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner altered Birchmore’s death certificate last month. The cause of death was updated from asphyxia by hanging to asphyxia, while the manner shifted from suicide to undetermined. These revisions follow years of pressure from Birchmore’s family, including her cousin Barbara Wright, who believes the changes could help secure justice.

Farwell, 65, stands accused of strangling Birchmore and staging her death to resemble suicide. Authorities allege the pair began a sexual relationship when she was 15 and he was 27. His defence maintains that the original medical examiner’s ruling supports their claim of innocence. A judge is now reviewing whether Farwell should remain in custody until his trial begins in October. The case centres on events from 1986, when Birchmore, then 17, was found dead in a wooded area near her home.

The amended death certificate removes the suicide classification, leaving the manner of death unresolved. Farwell’s trial will determine whether he is responsible for Birchmore’s death and that of her unborn child. The outcome may hinge on forensic evidence and witness testimony from the 1980s.