Sandra Birchmore’s Deputy Chief Used WHAT Name?!

Sandra Birchmore’s phone recorded eight steps shortly before Matthew Farwell exited her building, according to federal prosecutors. Years before that night, Massachusetts police investigators say another Stoughton officer had been contacting her under a name borrowed from a movie character. 

The officer was former deputy chief Robert Devine. Police regulators found that he used the Facebook name “Marty Riggs” in communications with Sandra, who had entered the Stoughton Police Explorers youth program as a child. Devine disputes wrongdoing. The state revoked his police certification in December 2025 following an investigation of his conduct and truthfulness. 

The department’s internal investigation named three officers in connection with inappropriate relationships with Sandra: Devine, Matthew Farwell and Matthew’s twin brother William. Those findings are distinct from the criminal charges now facing Matthew in federal court. Neither Devine nor William is charged in Sandra’s death. Matthew has pleaded not guilty and maintains, through his defense, that Sandra died by suicide. 

Prosecutors allege Matthew killed Sandra on February 1, 2021, when she was 23 and pregnant. They say the phone’s final step count and video showing him leaving three minutes later are important pieces of the timeline. The defense disputes the government’s conclusion about what happened inside the apartment. 

Jennifer Coffindaffer and Tony Brueski examine how investigators read digital evidence while returning to the institutional question: why were the officers’ relationships with Sandra allowed to continue for so long? A criminal jury can decide the charges against Matthew. The history of the youth program demands a separate accounting of the department’s conduct. 

Listen Anywhere You Get Podcasts: https://pod.link/1655749292 
Want to comment and watch this podcast as a video? Check out our YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/@hiddenkillerspod?sub_confirmation=1 
Join Our SubStack For AD-FREE ADVANCE EPISODES & EXTRAS!: https://hiddenkillers.substack.com/ 
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hiddenkillerspod/ 
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hiddenkillerspod/ 
Tik-Tok https://www.tiktok.com/@hiddenkillerspod 
X Twitter https://x.com/tonybpod 

This publication contains commentary and opinion based on publicly available information. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Nothing published here should be taken as a statement of fact, health or legal advice. 

#SandraBirchmore #MatthewFarwell #HiddenKillers #FarwellTrial #StoughtonPolice #RobertDevine #WilliamFarwell #JenniferCoffindaffer #JusticeForSandra #TrueCrime