The Sandra Birchmore trial is putting the original investigation on the stand, too.

Testimony resumed Wednesday in federal court in South Boston in the trial of Matthew Farwell, the former Stoughton police detective accused of strangling Sandra Birchmore, 23, in her Canton apartment in February 2021 and staging it to look like a suicide. Prosecutors say Farwell began abusing Birchmore when she was a teenager in the Stoughton police Explorers program. She was 8 to 10 weeks pregnant when she died. Farwell has pleaded not guilty to killing a witness or victim and to causing the death of an unborn child; conviction carries a mandatory life sentence.

What makes the trial so uncomfortable is the scrutiny of how the case was first handled. State Police Trooper Matthew Dunne, one of the original investigators who treated the death as a suicide, testified that he never reported it as suspicious, didn't speak to anyone who lived next door, and didn't preserve certain items in the apartment. Meanwhile, Birchmore's boss at Sharon schools told jurors the suicide theory made no sense to her. "She was so excited to have that baby," she said.

The defense contends Birchmore took her own life after Farwell ended the relationship. Expect the jury to hear from a friend of Birchmore, a Stoughton detective, and the former Stoughton police chief in the coming days. Beyond the verdict, the case raises hard questions about how a death like this was ruled a suicide in the first place.

Full story at CBS Boston →

State moves to yank licenses from all 12 RegalCare nursing homes. Regulators on Tuesday moved to revoke every Massachusetts license held by the New Jersey-based chain, days after a Globe Spotlight investigation detailed deep cuts to nursing care while money flowed to businesses tied to CEO Eli Mirlis. The company says it will fight, which triggers a hearing. For now, the homes stay open under enhanced state monitoring. If the state wins, Mirlis is barred from running nursing homes here for a decade. Boston Globe →

Former Healey aide LaMar Cook hit with federal SNAP fraud charges. Cook, already facing state drug and gun trafficking charges, was arrested Wednesday. Federal prosecutors say he claimed zero income and under $100 in the bank while collecting about $500 a month in food benefits, when his account held thousands. His mother's roughly $1 million lottery win is also part of the story. Cook has pleaded not guilty in the state case. Boston Globe →

Markey and Deaton meet in their only debate. Sen. Ed Markey, 80, tried to bind Republican John Deaton to President Trump, naming him dozens of times. Deaton, 59, insisted he has never voted for Trump and called both parties corrupt. A late-September UNH poll has Markey up 23 points, so Deaton needed a breakthrough he may not have gotten. WBUR →

Healey wants your utility refund now, not next May. With winter coming and her own reelection on the ballot, the governor demanded that Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil immediately refund customers for years of excessive transmission profits. A federal ruling put roughly $1.5 billion in refunds owed across New England, but the deadline was pushed to May 2027. WBUR →

Lawrence council moves toward a no-confidence vote on Mayor DePeña. The council, sitting as a committee, voted 5-2 to advance the resolution, with a final vote next Tuesday. It carries no legal force, and Mayor Brian DePeña, who pleaded not guilty Tuesday to state wiretapping and witness intimidation charges on top of federal pandemic-loan fraud charges, says he's staying. Boston Globe →

Auditor's report calls the liquor license system "bonkers." Diana DiZoglio's 172-page report finds that tying license numbers to population leaves many of the state's 351 cities and towns with a mismatch between supply and demand. It makes a strong case for returning local control to municipalities. Boston Globe →

Fewer kids in class, and the reasons vary by region. Statewide K-12 enrollment hit 867,825 this year, the lowest since 1994. Rural areas are aging, cities lost the immigration boost, and suburbs aren't replacing graduating classes, all as lawmakers prepare to revisit the school funding formula. CommonWealth Beacon →

• Tuesday, Oct. 20: The Lawrence City Council takes its final vote on the no-confidence resolution against Mayor DePeña. Boston Globe →
• Nov. 3: Election Day. Beyond the Senate race, nine ballot questions await, including Question 3 on all-party primaries (43% support, 36% opposed in a recent poll) and Question 7 on statewide minimum lot sizes for housing. CommonWealth Beacon →
• Through Thursday: "Operation Wicked Safe" puts extra State Police patrols on I-90, I-93, I-95, and other major routes. Mind the speedometer. Boston.com →

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Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

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Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

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Recent filings with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance:

Candidates

• Zuhair Syed (Democratic) — City Councilor, Lowell — Filed: 10/9/2026
• Maria Desposito — City Councilor, Malden — Filed: 10/8/2026

Ballot Question Committees

• Committee for Fair Campaign Finance — N/A, No office — Filed: 10/13/2026

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