Cold Case Murder Linked to Couple’s Court TV Appearance
WHO:
CNN - Matthew Farwell, a 40-year-old former Stoughton police officer, has pleaded not guilty to charges connected to Sandra Birchmore’s death and the death of her unborn child.
CNN - Birchmore’s cousin Angelique Pirozzi described her as outgoing and passionate about friendships, saying, “She overshared — she texted people constantly.”
CNN - Farwell’s twin brother, William Farwell, testified that Matthew Farwell said he wiped his phone after Birchmore’s death to delete evidence of their communications.
NBC News - Court documents identify Dale Smith Jr. as Parker’s ex-fiancé.
ABC News - Michelle Parker was a 33-year-old mother of three.
ABC News - Dale Smith Jr. was Parker’s ex and was accused in a warrant of fatally choking her.
CBS News US - Michelle Parker and Dale Smith Jr. were involved in a dispute featured on “The People’s Court.”
NY Post - An unnamed former fiancé of Smith spoke to detectives and made claims about Smith’s conduct toward her.
WHAT:
CNN - Investigators recovered about 40,000 text messages between Birchmore and Farwell from her phone and laptop, including 600 messages exchanged in her final hours.
CNN - Federal prosecutors say the texts document a sexual relationship that began when Birchmore was 15 and Farwell was 27; the defense argues the messages support a suicide theory.
CNN - A DNA test identified US Army recruiter Jason Pickard, not Farwell, as the father of Birchmore’s unborn child.
CNN - Investigators found hundreds of baby-related internet searches on Birchmore’s devices in the weeks before her death and no searches about suicide methods, prosecutors told jurors.
CNN - Prosecutors said Birchmore left no suicide note.
NBC News - A fresh review of cell phone data and text messages led to the arrest of a Florida man accused of murdering Parker.
NBC News - Court documents related to the arrest were unsealed.
ABC News - Parker vanished after an episode of “The People’s Court” aired; police said she disappeared hours after the broadcast.
CBS News US - The episode concerned a dispute between Parker and Dale Smith Jr.
NY Post - The former fiancé claimed Smith routinely choked her with his bare hands or a belt until she passed out.
NY Post - The former fiancé claimed Smith choked her during sex and arguments, and threatened to make her disappear.
NY Post - Documents quoted the former fiancé as saying Smith hoped “someone would kill this b–tch.”
WHERE:
CNN - Birchmore lived in Canton, a Boston suburb; Farwell entered her apartment building on the night she died, surveillance footage showed.
NY Post - The article identified Parker as a Florida mother.
WHEN:
NBC News - The court documents were unsealed Tuesday.
ABC News - The “The People’s Court” episode was pre-taped and aired on the same day Parker vanished.
NY Post - The former fiancé spoke to detectives earlier in the year referenced by the article.
WHY:
CNN - Prosecutors allege Farwell killed Birchmore to prevent her from exposing their relationship and his alleged grooming and sexual abuse of a minor.
ABC News - The warrant linked the accusation against Smith to Parker’s disappearance and alleged fatal choking.
HOW:
ABC News - According to police, Parker disappeared hours after the pre-taped court-show episode aired.
NY Post - The former fiancé alleged that Smith used his bare hands or a belt to choke her.
(UPDATED October 29, 2026 00:00 UTC)
Federal prosecutors allege former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell killed Sandra Birchmore to keep her from exposing a relationship that began when she was 15, while Farwell has pleaded not guilty to charges involving her death and her unborn child. His twin brother testified that Farwell said he wiped his phone after Birchmore died, despite investigators recovering about 40,000 messages; prosecutors say the messages and other evidence challenge the defense’s suicide theory. In a separate Florida case, Dale Smith Jr., Michelle Parker’s ex-fiancé, was arrested on suspicion of murdering her after a review of phone data and texts, and court records describe allegations that he choked Parker and had threatened a former partner.
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(UPDATED October 28, 2026 23:01 UTC)
A Florida man has been arrested on suspicion of killing Michelle Parker, a 33-year-old mother of three, after a fresh review of phone data and text messages; court documents identify him as her ex-fiancé, Dale Smith Jr., and allege he fatally choked her. Parker disappeared hours after an episode of “The People’s Court” featuring a dispute between the two aired. An unnamed former fiancé of Smith told detectives that he had choked and threatened her, according to the documents.
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(UPDATED October 28, 2026 04:02 UTC)
Michelle Parker, a 33-year-old Florida mother of three, vanished hours after an episode of “The People’s Court” featuring her dispute with ex Dale Smith Jr. aired, and police said a warrant accused Smith of fatally choking her. A former fiancée told detectives that Smith repeatedly choked her with his hands or a belt until she passed out, including during sex and arguments. She also alleged that he threatened to make her disappear and said he hoped someone would kill Parker.