Jury Deliberates in Former Officer’s Murder Trial

The federal jury began deliberating on November 6 after a trial lasting nearly a month. Farwell, 40, is accused of killing Birchmore, 23, and staging her death as a suicide. Prosecutors say he acted after learning she was pregnant and fearing she would expose their relationship, which they say began when she was 15 and he was 27.

Farwell’s lawyers acknowledge that he had an affair with Birchmore but deny that he killed her. They argue that their sexual relationship began when she was an adult and that Birchmore died by suicide after Farwell left her apartment. The defense also says there is no evidence she planned to report him to law enforcement.

Prosecutors presented about 50 witnesses and 500 exhibits, including roughly 40,000 text messages between Farwell and Birchmore. A specialist in electronic evidence said location data from Birchmore’s handset stopped changing three minutes ahead of footage showing Farwell exiting the building’s lobby on the evening of her death. A medical witness for the prosecution said Birchmore’s injuries were consistent with being choked using a duffel bag strap and indicated a struggle; a defense expert rejected the conclusion that her death was a homicide.

Birchmore was found with a strap around her neck, and police initially treated the death as suicide. The state medical examiner’s office later changed its official finding to undetermined. Federal investigators began examining the case in 2023 and concluded the local inquiry was rushed and compromised. Following closing arguments on November 6, the jurors spent roughly three hours discussing the case.