Sandra Birchmore: The Officer She Trusted Is Accused of Killing Her

Melissa (0:00)

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Mandy (2:27)

When Sandra Birchmore was 12, she joined a police youth program because she wanted to become a police officer herself. She trusted the adults teaching her and stayed connected to some of them long after she left the program. Years later, when Sandra was found dead in her apartment, investigators initially believed she died by suicide. Her family questioned that conclusion and a closer examination uncovered years of alleged abuse by men she met through the department.

Hey guys, and welcome to the Moms and Mysteries Podcast, a true crime podcast featuring myself, Mandy, and my dear friend, Melissa. Hi, Melissa.

Melissa (3:08)

Hi, Mandy. How are you?

Mandy (3:09)

I am doing well. I am doing well.

Melissa (3:13)

Yeah?

Mandy (3:14)

It feels like a manic Monday, but it's not even Monday, so it's just a manic day, I guess.

Melissa (3:18)

We're halfway through this week. My son, when he woke up, I go, are you excited about today, which is like the dumbest thing you can ask a kid going to school?

Mandy (3:24)

Never. Right.

Melissa (3:25)

And he said, kind of, and I was like, well, okay, like, let's move very carefully. Let's not ruin the vibes.

Let's eat and let's get on our way. But yeah, that's kind of how I felt today where I was like, ugh, not that great, but he was happy, so I think we can, we could do it.

Mandy (3:42)

I'm actually happy to hear that because it's been raining for like three straight days and I know he doesn't always love bad weather, so- I'm glad that he was happy today because I was not happy this morning when I saw that it was still raining and raining and raining and raining and it still is raining. So-

Melissa (3:55)

It's raining right now. I've got a pillow fort in front of me, all kinds of stuff. I'm trying my very, very best because my computer battery was dead. So we've already had a morning. Let's get right into the story this week, Mandy.

Mandy (4:07)

Let's do it. This is a story that is actually currently in the news, I believe, because there is a trial starting this week. I know I said back in September, we were covering so many cases that had trials that were currently ongoing. I didn't think that we were going to really have any in October. I forgot about this one. Sandra Birchmore grew up in Stoughton, Massachusetts, with a pretty clear idea of what she wanted to be when she got older. She wanted to be a police officer. She admired them, and by the time she was 12, she was asking her mom to let her join a local program where kids could learn all about police work. For Sandra, who struggled to fit in at school, that was a chance to spend time with people who shared an interest that she actually cared about.