Jury resumes deliberations in Matthew Farwell trial

The eight men and four women on the federal jury began deliberating Friday afternoon after closing arguments. They weighed the case for just over three hours before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper sent them home for the weekend. Four alternate jurors were also selected.

Farwell, 41, has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors allege he killed Birchmore, 23, on February 1, 2021, to stop her from sharing information about his alleged federal crimes with law enforcement. He also faces a charge of causing the death of Birchmore’s fetus. She was pregnant when she died and was due to give birth in September 2021. A conviction on the witness-killing charge carries an automatic life sentence.

Farwell has argued that Birchmore died by suicide, pointing to a previous attempt and her history of mental illness. His defense presented expert testimony disputing that she was strangled. Prosecutors say she died after Farwell visited her apartment. Birchmore was found dead in her Canton home on February 4, 2021, after missing work for several days.

The jury heard more than three weeks of testimony, including conflicting expert opinions about her death. State authorities initially ruled it a suicide; a later FBI investigation consulted a medical expert who concluded she had been strangled. Digital experts testified that Birchmore’s cellphone registered its final movement three minutes before surveillance footage captured Farwell exiting her building. Jurors must decide both indictments.