Former cop accused of killing pregnant woman and staging her death to look like a suicide
(BOSTON) — A former Massachusetts police officer is accused of killing a pregnant 23-year-old woman who he began sleeping with when she was a teenager and staging her death to look like a suicide, a federal indictment unsealed in Boston on Wednesday alleges.
Former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell allegedly strangled Sandra Birchmore to death in February 2021 after she told him she was pregnant with his child and “staged” her apartment “to make it appear as if Birchmore had committed suicide,” the indictment stated.
He was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of killing a witness or victim.
“We allege that Sandra Birchmore survived years of grooming, statutory rape and then sexual violence all at the hands of Matthew Farwell, who was employed throughout their relationship as an officer and then detective with the Stoughton Police Department. And when it became clear to Mr. Farwell that he could no longer control Ms. Birchmore, he silenced her permanently,” acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said during a press briefing on Wednesday.
Farwell was arrested Wednesday morning and is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on Wednesday afternoon. ABC News has reached out to Farwell’s attorney for comment.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(LOS ANGELES) — Two former Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies and two former foreign military members – one from the U.K. and one from Australia – have been accused of staging a “sham raid” on a man’s home as part of a business dispute, federal prosecutors said.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, the four men were hired by a “wealthy Chinese national” — who is being identified as an unindicted co-conspirator — to pressure the victim into handing over his shares of a Chinese rubber chemical manufacturer and nearly $37 million.
The alleged co-conspirator and victim, neither of whom are identified, had been in a yearslong feud over ownership interests in the company, prosecutors said.
The four men charged were identified as Steven Arthur Lankford, 68, a since-retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy; Glen Louis Cozart, 63, a former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy who runs a private investigation and security services company; Max Samuel Bennett Turbett, 39, a former member of the British military who owns a private investigation and asset recovery business; and Matthew Phillip Hart, 41, a former member of the Australian military who owns a risk management services business.
They were arraigned Monday, each on one count of conspiracy to commit extortion, one count of attempted extortion, one count of conspiracy against rights and one count of deprivation of rights under color of law. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in federal prison for each extortion-related count and up to 10 years in federal prison for each deprivation of rights-related count, prosecutors said.
It was not immediately clear if they had retained attorneys. ABC News reached out to all of the defendants except Hart, whose contact information could not be found, but did not immediately hear back.
The alleged co-conspirator contacted Turbett in December 2018 to ask for help in solving the two business partners’ feud, prosecutors said. The co-conspirator allegedly said prior litigation had not been “the smart way” to handle the dispute and asked Turbett to find another “solution to finish the problem,” promising that if he did, “we can both retire.”
Turbett and the alleged co-conspirator then allegedly “drafted purported settlement agreements” that called for the victim to transfer shares of the company and nearly $37 million cash to the co-conspirator.
Prosecutors said Turbett hired Cozart in order to locate the victim and assemble a team to get the victim to sign the settlement agreements.
Prosecutors said Turbett hired Lankford — who was still working for the sheriff’s office — who, in violation of department policy, allegedly used a law enforcement database to search the victim’s name and date of birth.
In June 2019, the four men allegedly drove an unmarked vehicle belonging to the sheriff’s office to the victim’s home in Irvine. There, prosecutors said they entered his home and “forced [him], his wife, and their two children into one room, took their phones, and prevented them from leaving for hours.” The victim was also allegedly “slammed against a wall and choked.”
“Defendants allegedly also threatened to deport Victim 1 and his wife and permanently separate them from their 4-year-old son unless Victim 1 complied with their demands,” the news release states.
The man, fearing for his family’s safety, signed the documents, handing over shares in the company that were worth millions, prosecutors said.
Despite Lankford allegedly threatening the victim against calling police, saying he would be deported if he did so, prosecutors said the victim contacted police immediately afterward.
“Lankford thereafter spoke with an [Irvine Police Department] officer and falsely claimed that he had been at Victim 1’s home for a legitimate law enforcement purpose, that Victim 1 consented to all parties being in his home, and that no force was used,” prosecutors said in the release.
Within several months, the alleged co-conspirator paid Turbett’s company $419,813 and emailed to thank him for a “very good job,” prosecutors said.
“It is critical that we hold public officials, including law enforcement officers, to the same standards as the rest of us,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “It is unacceptable and a serious civil rights violation for a sworn police officer to take the law into his own hands and abuse the authority of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.”
(WEST GLACIER, Mont.) — The body of a 32-year-old climber has been found after an apparent fall a week after he went missing.
Grant Marcuccio’s body was found at around 2 p.m. on Sunday, the National Park Service said this week.
The cause of death is still under investigation, but traumatic injuries and the location of his body indicate he likely fell, according to the NPS.
Marcuccio was found east of McPartland Peak, below the ridgeline between Heavens Peak and McPartland Peak.
His body was transported to the Apgar horse corrals.
Marcuccio was last seen by his hiking party on Aug. 18. He had separated from his party to summit McPartland Peak alone and was planning to meet them again at a designated location.
That evening the hiking party alerted rangers that he never showed up to the meet-up spot.
A search for Marcuccio by land and air began on Aug. 19.
(NEW YORK) — Tropical Storm Francine was forecast to strengthen into a hurricane early Tuesday ahead of its expected landfall in Louisiana on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said.
The storm’s winds remained at about 65 mph just after midnight, the center said in its 1 a.m. CT update on Tuesday.
“Francine will likely become a hurricane today, with significant strengthening expected before it reaches the coast,” the update said.
Weather officials issued a series of hurricane warnings and watches for coastal areas as the storm has churned in the Gulf of Mexico. Strong winds are extending about 140 miles outward from the storm.
Francine is expected to make landfall Wednesday afternoon in southwestern Louisiana as a Category 2 storm with 100 mph winds.
A Storm Surge Warning was in effect for High Island, Texas, to the mouth of the Mississippi River and Vermilion Bay in Louisiana. A Hurricane Warning was in effect for the Louisiana coast from Sabine Pass eastward to Morgan City, officials said.
The storm is expected to bring rain to much of the coast from northeastern Mexico through Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Most areas in the storm’s path will see between 4 inches and 8 inches of rain, with a few areas getting as much as 12 inches.
“This rainfall could lead to considerable flash and urban flooding,” weather officials said.