Defense Diaries is covering the federal trial of Matthew Farwell, the former Stoughton police detective charged with killing 23-year-old Sandra Birchmore and causing the death of her unborn child. Prosecutors say Farwell began grooming Birchmore at 15 after meeting her through the Stoughton Police Explorers program, then strangled her in her Canton apartment in February 2021 and staged the scene to look like a suicide. The defense says he had an affair he regrets, but he did not kill her. Every night of trial, Bob and Ali Motta break down the day's testimony from a trial attorney perspective: what the government proved, where the cross-examination landed, and what it all means for the jury. Our recaps draw on the courtroom reporting of Grant Smith-Ellis, who is live tweeting from the Moakley Courthouse in Boston every day. No cameras are allowed in federal court, so this is as close to the room as you can get. Tonight's episode: Today was a particularly difficult day in Court as we will hear in great detail the depths of Farwell’s depravity, as he groomed a vulnerable child and ultimately gained her trust, with the express intent to exploit her sexually and fulfill his sick desires. It’s one of the most tragic cases I ever seen, because SO many people could have stopped it…yet didn’t. #MatthewFarwell #SandraBirchmore #FarwellTrial #BirchmoreTrial #StoughtonPolice #truecrimepodcast #truecrimecommunity #CourtroomRecap #trialcoverage . . .