(NewsNation) — Another bombshell has been revealed in the mysterious death of Sandra Birchmore.
According to MassLive.com, Robert C. Devine — former Stoughton, Massachusetts, deputy police chief — reportedly called Birchmore on the day she died, newly released video of a secret disciplinary hearing shows. The hearing, back in June, was being conducted by the Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission, or POST, which was seeking to sanction Devine.
Under the alias “Marty Riggs” on social media, Devine messaged Birchmore to coordinate a sexual encounter while he worked on duty in December 2020, an attorney for POST said at the hearing.
“When confronted in the internal affairs investigation interview, Mr. Devine claims that he never had any electronic contact with [Birchmore] and that he never had any sexual contact with [Birchmore],” said Shaun Martinez, an attorney for the POST Commission.
“The Division’s position is that the evidence overwhelmingly supports that these statements are untrue,” Martinez added.
The hearings also examined Devine’s history at the Stoughton Police Department, which revealed he was suspended for 60 days and demoted from deputy chief to patrolman in 2015 after an internal investigation that was unrelated to Birchmore.
“Mr. Devine has a pattern of untruthfulness, abuse of power, and unprofessional conduct during his time as an officer,” said Martinez. “And given the gravity of his misconduct, it’s likely that it would escalate.”
Devine, meanwhile, says Birchmore was spreading false information about him and accused investigators of bias. His attorney, Robert Stowe, also denied the accusations related to Birchmore.
“There’s a big lie that’s being played out here,” said Stowe, who said the POST Commission’s lawyer was “trying to present a lie that’s been perpetrated by Sandra Birchmore at the behest or at the encouragement” of former Stoughton officer William Farwell, who no longer lives in Massachusetts.
Sandra Birchmore allegedly killed by a former detective
Former Stoughton police detective Matthew G. Farwell allegedly killed Birchmore in February 2021 by strangulation and “staged” her Canton apartment “to make it appear as if Birchmore had committed suicide,” court records stated.
Birchmore’s body was found in her apartment after she didn’t show up for work for several days.
Investigators found that Farwell was the last person to see Birchmore alive. She was seen on surveillance video at her apartment four days before her death, spending 20 minutes inside.
At the time of Birchmore’s death, she was pregnant and told friends it was Farwell’s child. However, a DNA test found Farwell was not the father of her unborn child.
Farwell was charged with killing a witness or a victim in Aug. 2024. His murder trial date has yet to be scheduled.
Sandra Birchmore’s family accused Stoughton police officers of abusing her
Birchmore’s family accused three Stoughton police officers of grooming and abusing her for years, which reportedly began when she was a young teen participating in the Stoughton Police Explorers Academy.
In addition, court documents revealed thousands of texts between Birchmore and Farwell dating back to when she was just 15.
Birchmore’s family filed a wrongful death suit against the department, accusing it of negligent hiring, negligent supervision and negligent infliction of emotional distress.