Witness Guide
A quick-reference guide to witnesses and other people appearing in or relevant to the Grant Smith Ellis court-reporting archive. Descriptions are for orientation only and are not intended to characterize the importance, credibility, or weight of testimony or evidence.
Counsel
DOJ
Elizabeth C. Riley
Torey B. Cummings
Brian A. Fogerty
Leah B. Foley
U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts · signatory on filings
Defense
Kimberly C. Stevens (NC)
Joanne M. Daley
Quick Jump — Find a Person
Names are alphabetized by surname. Select any name to jump directly to that entry, regardless of section.
50 witnesses · 71 people
DDaniel Barber · Daniel Loper · Darlene Smith · Denise Birchmore · Diala Alkhalil, LMHC · Donna McNamara · Donyea Holloway
JJames Fitton · Jason Pickard · Jessica Hyde · Jessica Katz · John Fanning · Joseph Harris · Joshua Heal · Julia Perlin
MMackenzie Palma · Dr. Maher “Max” Nourredine · Dr. María del Mar Capó Martínez · Trooper Matthew Dunne · Dr. Melissa Piasecki · Dr. Michael Baden · Michael W. Morrissey · Dr. Mindy Hull
Witnesses
Witnesses who have appeared in the trial through November 4, 2026.
| Witness | Role / affiliation | Court day / date | Topics addressed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diala Alkhalil, LMHC | Sandra Birchmore’s longtime mental-health counselor | Day 10 — October 23, 2026 Day 11 — October 26, 2026 |
Treatment history; anxiety, grief, depression and suicide-risk assessments; pregnancy; relationship disclosures; final sessions and communications. |
| Daniel Barber | Stoughton Police detective | Day 8 — October 21, 2026 Day 9 — October 22, 2026 |
Farwell’s workplace behavior and demeanor; communications before and after Birchmore’s death; Stoughton Police context. |
| Dr. Angie Christensen | Forensic anthropologist; retired FBI Laboratory examiner | Day 17 — November 3, 2026 | FBI examination of Birchmore’s hyoid bone using CT imaging; right greater-horn fracture; limitations imposed by formalin-preserved tissue; forensic-anthropology meaning of perimortem and limits on dating an injury. |
| Dr. Maher “Max” Nourredine | Molecular geneticist and forensic serology/DNA consultant | Day 17 — November 3, 2026 | Serology and DNA-mixture interpretation; STRmix assumptions and likelihood ratios; ligature, underwear and collected swab results; DNA transfer and evidence handling; limitations of identifying when DNA was deposited. |
| Daniel Loper | Defense digital-forensics analyst; owner of Granite Discovery | Day 18 — November 4, 2026 | Device extractions and lost MacBook image; Apple Watch and iPhone data recovery; messages and blocked-contact records; browser cache and searches; surveillance clock drift and Apple Health step data. |
| Dr. Thomas A. Andrew | Forensic pathologist; former chief medical examiner of New Hampshire | Day 18 — November 4, 2026 | Review of autopsy and scene evidence, lividity, ligature and hyoid findings, differential assessment of hanging and strangulation; concluded cause of death hanging, manner undetermined; limitations and assumptions tested on cross. |
| Sandra Barrett | Stoughton Police detective | Day 8 — October 21, 2026 | Farwell’s workplace behavior and demeanor in early 2021; conversations about a woman outside his marriage; Stoughton Police context. |
| Christopher Beckstrom | FBI master digital forensics examiner, New England Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory | Day 5 — October 16, 2026 | Forensic review of phones and laptop data; Google/search artifacts; communications and other digital evidence; device handling and extraction issues. |
| Caitlin Bulger | Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner medical examiner assistant | Day 14 — October 29, 2026 | Body removal and scene observations; ligature position and handling; property inventory; OCME circumstances documentation; clothing and jewelry observations; preservation of scene evidence. |
| Dr. María del Mar Capó Martínez | Forensic pathologist, Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner | Day 11 — October 26, 2026 | 2021 autopsy; information available to the OCME; cause and manner of death; later review of the original suicide determination; autopsy findings and evidence collection. |
| Cheryl Carlson | Former assistant principal, Sharon Public Schools | Day 2 — October 13, 2026 | Birchmore’s work as an instructional assistant; pregnancy and demeanor; attendance and workplace communications before her death. |
| Rebecca Chandler | Friend and former Massasoit Community College classmate of Sandra Birchmore | Day 8 — October 21, 2026 | Birchmore’s relationship with Farwell; pregnancy; relationship conflict; communications and plans in late 2020 and January 2021. |
| Detective Heather Cheever | Stoughton Police Department | Day 2 — October 13, 2026 | Birchmore’s participation in the Police Explorers program and later contacts; mental-health history; pregnancy; identification of Farwell in apartment surveillance. |
| Officer Ensley Cotard | Canton Police Department / school resource officer | Day 2 — October 13, 2026 | February 4, 2021 welfare check; entry into Birchmore’s apartment; discovery and initial observations of the death scene. |
| Lindsey Crean | Longtime friend of Sandra Birchmore | Day 10 — October 23, 2026 | Friendship with Birchmore; disclosures about Farwell and when the sexual relationship began; pregnancy; mental-health history and prior self-harm. |
| Leslie Davis | Close friend of Sandra Birchmore | Day 4 — October 15, 2026 | Birchmore’s relationship with Farwell; pregnancy and preparations for the baby; communications shortly before her death; information Davis brought to police. |
| Trooper Matthew Dunne | Massachusetts State Police investigator assigned to Norfolk County | Day 2 — October 13, 2026 Day 3 — October 14, 2026 |
Initial death investigation; scene evidence; interviews; devices and records; investigative steps and decisions in February 2021. |
| Elizabeth Duval | Forensic scientist, Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory | Day 9 — October 22, 2026 | DNA testing and interpretation involving the ligature, fingernail clippings, underwear, and reference profiles from Farwell and Pickard. |
| William “Billy” Farwell | Former Stoughton police officer; Matthew Farwell’s twin brother | Day 11 — October 26, 2026 | His own sexual relationship with Birchmore; on-duty sexual contact; Police Explorers/Stoughton Police background; communications; testimony under a grant of immunity. |
| James Fitton | Former Stoughton Police dispatcher | Day 7 — October 20, 2026 | January 2021 call concerning Birchmore and Matthew Farwell; Fitton’s conversation with Farwell after the call and subsequent handling of his notes. |
| Dr. Heather Garvin | Forensic anthropologist | Day 16 — November 2, 2026 | Hyoid anatomy and ossification; fracture literature; age, fusion, and partial/seated hanging; limits of using a hyoid fracture alone to infer mechanism or manner of death. |
| Nicholas Guarino | Digital forensic examiner; former Massachusetts State Police trooper assigned to the Norfolk DA’s office | Day 4 — October 15, 2026 | 2021 forensic extraction and examination of Birchmore- and Farwell-related devices; missing/deleted data; device and storage handling. |
| Joseph Harris | Massasoit Community College administrator; formerly an academic coordinator | Day 13 — October 28, 2026 | 2017 CARE report concerning Birchmore; employment and academic concerns; reported prior suicide attempt; college reporting and response procedures; limits of his independent recollection. |
| Donyea Holloway | Former Stoughton Police Explorers participant and friend of Sandra Birchmore | Day 8 — October 21, 2026 | Police Explorers program; Birchmore’s participation; friendship and later reconnection; pregnancy and statements about Farwell. |
| Brian Holmes | Former Stoughton deputy police chief; led the department’s internal-affairs investigation | Day 4 — October 15, 2026 Day 5 — October 16, 2026 |
Stoughton Police internal-affairs investigation after Birchmore’s death; Farwell’s employment and conduct; January 2021 dispatch call; investigative referrals. |
| Dr. Mindy Hull | Chief Medical Examiner, Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner | Day 14 — October 29, 2026 | OCME evidence preservation and specimen storage; stock jar and preserved neck structures; forensic-pathology training; manner-of-death classifications and use of “undetermined.” |
| Jessica Hyde | Digital forensics examiner and professor; owner of Hexordia | Day 13 — October 28, 2026 | iPhone and Apple Watch forensics; device synchronization and extraction; Safari/Facebook artifacts; Apple Health and step data; DVR clock-offset analysis; phone battery and activity data; last recorded user activity. 🍕🍔 Pizza and burgers were involved. Again. |
| Jessica Katz | Attorney consulted by Sandra Birchmore | Day 7 — October 20, 2026 | Family-law questions concerning pregnancy, paternity, visitation, birth-certificate issues, and the anticipated involvement of the child’s father; communications with Birchmore and attorney referrals. |
| Special Agent Heidi Kelsch | Federal Bureau of Investigation | Day 5 — October 16, 2026 Day 6 — October 19, 2026 Day 7 — October 20, 2026 Day 13 — October 28, 2026 |
Federal investigation and digital evidence; Birchmore/Farwell communications; device and Apple Health data; web-search and cached-image artifacts; relationship chronology and paternity evidence; recalled briefly regarding common FBI responses to crime reports. |
| William Kilroy | Former boyfriend of Sandra Birchmore from her Massasoit Community College years | Day 14 — October 29, 2026 | Relationship and breakup; Birchmore’s grief and mental-health history; statements concerning self-harm and suicide; prior pregnancy/miscarriage statement; his observations while they were together. |
| Sgt. Robert Kuhn | Stoughton Police Department; former Stoughton High School resource officer | Day 3 — October 14, 2026 Day 4 — October 15, 2026 |
Police Explorers and school context; Farwell’s workplace behavior and demeanor; observations of Birchmore and Farwell. |
| Dr. Alicia McCarthy | Forensic scientist specializing in feature and pattern comparison | Day 16 — November 2, 2026 | Comparison of Birchmore’s chest mark with ligature hardware; photographic and methodological limitations; bias-control methods; modeling-clay methodology; inconclusive comparison findings. |
| Samantha McCue | Former Stoughton Police Explorers participant | Day 9 — October 22, 2026 | Her 2012 sexual relationship with Matthew Farwell; communications and circumstances of their meetings. |
| Shauna McGrath | Sandra Birchmore’s hairdresser | Day 8 — October 21, 2026 | Birchmore’s statements about her relationship with Farwell; efforts to become pregnant; pregnancy and plans for maternity photos. |
| Donna McNamara | Stoughton police chief | Day 4 — October 15, 2026 | Farwell’s employment and Police Explorers history; department policies and records; internal-affairs response; referrals to outside authorities. |
| Sarah Odams | Friend of Sandra Birchmore | Day 9 — October 22, 2026 | Birchmore’s relationship with Farwell; pregnancy and expected paternity; future plans; relationship conflict; contacts with investigators. |
| Mackenzie Palma | Childhood acquaintance of Sandra Birchmore; nurse and artist | Day 7 — October 20, 2026 | Birchmore’s pregnancy announcement plans; custom sign and baby onesie; late-2020/January-2021 communications. |
| Dr. Melissa Piasecki | Forensic psychiatrist and professor, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine | Day 15 — October 30, 2026 | Suicide-risk assessment based on Birchmore’s records and trial testimony; mental-health and self-harm history; childhood adversity and loss; attachment and relationship factors; pregnancy and antidepressant treatment; factors considered in assessing suicide risk. |
| Jason Pickard | Former Army recruiter; biological father of Birchmore’s unborn child | Day 9 — October 22, 2026 | His relationship with Birchmore; pregnancy and paternity; Birchmore’s disclosures about Farwell; final weeks and communications; testimony under a grant of immunity. |
| Erin Porter | Canton Woods property manager | Day 2 — October 13, 2026 | February 4 welfare check; access to Birchmore’s apartment; apartment-building layout and surveillance; information later relayed to police. |
| Dr. William Ralston (reported as “Rawlston” in Grant’s coverage) | Chief Medical Examiner of Kentucky | Day 16 — November 2, 2026 | Dr. William Smock’s historical roles and titles in Kentucky; clinical forensic medicine and autopsy-technician work; fellowship history; later consultant/medication role; limits of Ralston’s knowledge of Smock’s activities. |
| Dr. Lisa Rocchio | Clinical and forensic psychologist; childhood-sexual-abuse expert | Day 8 — October 21, 2026 | General expert testimony about grooming, victim selection and access, desensitization, maintenance, and delayed/disclosure dynamics; no case-specific evaluation. |
| Dr. William Smock | Physician and strangulation expert consulted by federal investigators during the later review of Birchmore’s death | Day 12 — October 27, 2026 | Strangulation and asphyxia; hyoid-bone fracture; neck injuries; ligature and chest pattern injury; scene reconstruction; cause- and manner-of-death opinions. |
| Sarah Sproul | Longtime acquaintance of Matthew Farwell | Day 9 — October 22, 2026 | Her 2016 sexual relationship with Farwell while he was married; communications and circumstances of their meetings. |
| Dr. Priyanka Venkataraman | Sandra Birchmore’s OB-GYN | Day 7 — October 20, 2026 | Pregnancy and prenatal care; ultrasound findings and pregnancy viability; bleeding and other symptoms; prenatal mental-health screening; medication history and reported side effects; clinical observations and reported mental-health history. |
| Carlos Verissimo | Canton Woods maintenance supervisor | Day 2 — October 13, 2026 | Apartment-building layout; surveillance system and video; identification of Birchmore in apartment-complex footage. |
| Stephanie Waite | Forensic scientist, Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory | Day 8 — October 21, 2026 | Physical evidence received from the autopsy; ligature, underwear, fingernail scrapings and swabs; examination and sampling for later DNA testing. |
| Karlie Williams | Childhood friend of Sandra Birchmore | Day 8 — October 21, 2026 | Reconnection with Birchmore; pregnancy; late-January/February 2021 communications and plans concerning Birchmore’s snowed-in car. |
| Sheanna Isabel Zbinski | Former Stoughton Police employee | Day 9 — October 22, 2026 | Her 2016 sexual relationship with Matthew Farwell while he was married; communications and circumstances of their meetings. |
| Alicia Zimmerman | Toxicologist / forensic scientist, Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory | Day 3 — October 14, 2026 | Postmortem toxicology testing, including alcohol, commonly abused drugs, and sertraline (Zoloft). |
Other People Relevant to the Record
People who have not testified but are referenced in testimony, records, investigative actions, or other case material. They are included here when identifying them may help readers follow the record. If a person later testifies, their entry will move to the Witnesses section.
| Name | Role / connection | References |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Michael Baden | Forensic pathologist whose review and opinion concerning Sandra Birchmore’s death are referenced in the record. | Trial record; medical-review materials |
| Yuriy “Yuri” Bukhenik | Massachusetts State Police trooper and investigator. William Farwell testified that Bukhenik was a member of Norfolk County CPAC at the time and that Matthew Farwell knew him professionally and socially. | October 21, 2026; October 27, 2026 |
| Denise Birchmore | Sandra Birchmore’s mother; died in 2016. | Trial testimony |
| Robert Devine | Former Stoughton police officer and officer-in-charge of the Police Explorers program from 2002–2014. A 2025 POST hearing officer found that Devine communicated with Sandra Birchmore while on duty and met her for a sexual encounter. Massachusetts POST later revoked his certification after finding a pattern of unprofessional police conduct that may escalate and repeated sustained internal-affairs complaints. | Trial record; Massachusetts POST — Final and Initial Decision |
| John Fanning | Massachusetts State Police sergeant assigned to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, and a former Stoughton police officer, who worked on the 2021 investigation into Birchmore’s death. | Trial testimony; MSP investigative records; October 27, 2026 |
| Claire Gaudet | Sandra Birchmore’s grandmother figure; died in 2016 shortly after Sandra’s mother, Denise Birchmore. | Trial testimony; family background records |
| Joshua Heal | Friend of Sandra Birchmore and Stoughton animal-control officer whom she spoke with about personal matters. | October 19, 2026; Stoughton records |
| Kim Lydon | Personal trainer who was referenced as spending time walking with Sandra Birchmore. | October 21, 2026 |
| Alice M. McKain | Sandra Birchmore’s aunt; died in 2019. | Family background records |
| Michael W. Morrissey | Norfolk County District Attorney. His office directed the initial state investigation into Sandra Birchmore’s death and did not bring criminal charges. In 2022, the office stated that the investigation had found no evidence of foul play; following Farwell’s federal indictment in 2024, it said the state investigation remained open and active. | Norfolk District Attorney’s Office statements; investigative records |
| Julia Perlin | Friend of Sandra Birchmore. Perlin made the January 20, 2021 call to Stoughton Police concerning Birchmore’s relationship with Matthew Farwell. | October 22, 2026; January 20, 2021 call/dispatch records |
| Darlene Smith | Sandra Birchmore’s aunt; Sandra lived with her after the deaths of her mother and grandmother. | Trial testimony; exhibits |
| Dr. Zoey Sundell | Forensic pathologist referenced in testimony as having been consulted by the government during its later review of Birchmore’s death. | October 27, 2026; federal-review testimony |
| Brian Tully | Massachusetts State Police detective lieutenant with the Norfolk County State Police Detective Unit; referenced in records and testimony concerning the 2021 investigation. | October 21, 2026; MSP records |
| Barbara “Barb” Wright | Sandra Birchmore’s cousin. | Trial record |
Source note: Witness entries are based on the Grant Smith Ellis court-reporting archive through November 4, 2026. Reports reconstruct contemporaneous courtroom coverage and are not official transcripts. Descriptions orient readers to a witness’s testimony without resolving disputed evidence or credibility.