Massachusetts bill on staged suicides

The Legislature's summary describes the bill as “legislation relative to officer training concerning staged suicides” (S.2743).

The bill would require the state's police certification standards to include training and continuing education on spotting staged crime scenes, bringing in a team of specialists when someone with a history of domestic violence dies, and recognizing signs of domestic homicide in suspicious deaths (bill text).

It would also set duties for police investigating suspicious deaths and give the person's relatives, household members and close friends certain rights (bill text). The Boston Globe reported those include asking for some investigative records, an autopsy and a second opinion from a board-certified forensic pathologist (Boston Globe).

If it passes, most of the bill would take effect Jan. 1, 2027. The investigation rules would apply to suspicious-death cases opened on or after July 1, 2027 (bill text).

Sen. Rebecca Rausch filed the bill in October 2025 and pointed to the case of Sandra Birchmore (Boston Globe). Birchmore's 2021 death was first ruled a suicide. The state medical examiner later changed the ruling to undetermined (CBS Boston).

On Nov. 10, 2026, a federal jury convicted former Stoughton police officer Matthew Farwell of killing Sandra Birchmore to keep her from reporting him, and of causing the death of her unborn son (CBS Boston; NBC Boston).