Dispatcher Testifies Accused Cop Matthew Farwell Ordered Him to ‘Never Talk About This Again’ After Secret Affair Exposed

A dispatch worker testified in federal court that he was commanded to “never talk about this again” after he relayed a frantic phone call from a concerned citizen who claimed that married Massachusetts police officer Matthew Farwell was engaging in a secret, illicit affair with her young friend, Sandra Birchmore.

The dramatic testimony unfolded at

the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston, where Farwell stands trial for allegedly murdering Birchmore and meticulously staging the horrific crime scene to mimic a suicide. Stoughton police dispatcher James Fitton took the witness stand to recount the tense events of January 20, 2021—just days before Birchmore’s untimely and suspicious death.

Fitton told jurors that he had tracked down Farwell to inform him about an incoming tip received that day. According to the dispatcher, the phone call came from a woman reporting that Farwell, an active-duty officer at the time, was deeply involved with the then-23-year-old Birchmore. Rather than receiving the news with professional calm, Fitton stated that Farwell immediately grew irate, erupting into a tirade filled with anger and profanity.

“He got visibly and audibly upset with me,” Fitton testified before the court. “His facial expression changed to anger and he told me—including expletives—to never talk about this again.”

The chilling response did not end with Farwell’s verbal reprimand. Fitton revealed that his direct supervisor also instructed him to completely “forget about” the report, effectively sweeping the concerning tip under the rug within the department. Later that same evening, the pressure continued when Farwell directly messaged Fitton via text, disparaging both Birchmore and the anonymous tipster by labeling them as “f—king insane.” Under the heavy weight of intimidation from a fellow officer and his own chain of command, Fitton ultimately relented and agreed to drop the matter entirely.

Federal prosecutors leading the case argue that this very phone call served as the dangerous catalyst that ultimately pushed Farwell to commit murder. According to the government’s timeline, the frantic tip exposed the vulnerability of Farwell’s double life, prompting him to decide to eliminate Birchmore just 13 days later. Prosecutors contend that the murder was a calculated move to keep her permanently silent about their long-term affair, as well as the dark secret that Farwell had allegedly begun sexually assaulting her years earlier when she was only a minor.

Farwell, 41, who has since resigned from the Stoughton Police Department, is accused of strangling a pregnant Birchmore inside her apartment in Canton on February 1, 2021. Following the alleged killing, investigators say Farwell manipulated the environment to make it appear as though the young woman had taken her own life. The timing of the alleged murder adds a grim layer to the prosecution’s narrative, occurring just one day before Farwell’s wife gave birth to the couple’s third child.

Throughout the trial, prosecutors have painted a detailed picture of the escalating tension between Farwell and Birchmore in the months leading up to her death. According to court filings and testimony, Birchmore had grown increasingly resentful and jealous of Farwell’s wife and his conventional family life. She allegedly demanded that Farwell have a child with her, threatening to expose their multi-year entanglement to his wife if he refused.

Succumbing to the pressure, Farwell begrudgingly agreed, and Birchmore became pregnant with a son in late 2020, just a few months before her tragic death in December of that year—though forensic DNA testing conducted after the deaths of both Birchmore and her unborn fetus later disproved Farwell’s biological paternity.

The roots of the tragic saga trace back years prior, when Birchmore was an aspiring law enforcement officer participating in the Stoughton police department’s “Explorers” youth program, which Farwell helped manage and oversee. Prosecutors allege that Farwell systematically groomed the young girl for a year before initiating a pattern of sexual abuse when she was just 15 years old. In the state of Massachusetts, the legal age of consent is 16, rendering the alleged relationship unlawful from its inception.

Despite the mounting evidence presented by federal authorities, Farwell has maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to charges of killing a victim or witness and causing the death of an unborn child. In their defense strategy, Farwell’s defense attorneys have argued that Birchmore died by suicide, pointing to her documented struggles with mental health in the past to support their claims before the jury. The trial continues as testimony and legal arguments unfold in the federal courtroom.