Sandra Birchmore's alleged killer on trial. UNC student murder case. Plus, campus safety.

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Andrea Canning (0:58)

I'm going to be filming at Sentencing. It's the start of another workday for the Dateline team.

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And doing some door knocks.

Andrea Canning (1:05)

Our producers are catching up on breaking crime news.

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It had to do with that guy we interviewed.

Simone Dixon (1:10)

At that moment, family knows something is seriously wrong.

SPEAKER_5 (1:13)

They've got all this evidence against him that looks pretty damning.

Andrea Canning (1:19)

Welcome to Dateline True Crime Weekly. I'm Andrea Canning. It's October 15th and here's what's on our docket.

In North Carolina, 14 years after a UNC student was found murdered at her off-campus apartment, her roommate faces tough questions in the witness box.

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Do you remember having a conversation with him about having blood on her hand?

SPEAKER_9 (1:41)

No.

Andrea Canning (1:42)

In Dateline Round Up, the man convicted of murdering rap superstar Tupac Shakur learns his fate. And we're inside the courtroom for the trial of a Virginia man accused of murdering his wife, even though her body has never been found.

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Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That's the American dream. It's what the defendant wanted, but ultimately ended as a nightmare.

Andrea Canning (2:05)

Plus campus safety. What do students need to know if they experience sexual assault or another crime on campus?

We'll be talking to two experts about where to turn for help.

Simone Dixon (2:16)

Students should know that they always have a choice and agency in the situation.

Andrea Canning (2:20)

But before all that, we're heading to Boston for the latest in the federal trial of a former police officer accused of killing pregnant teacher's aide, Sandra Birchmore. And a warning for listeners, this story might be upsetting. It includes discussion of suicide and sexual abuse.

23-year-old Sandra Birchmore was found dead in her Canton, Massachusetts apartment on February 4th, 2021 Now, five and a half years later, Matthew Farwell, a former Stoughton police officer she first met when she was a teenager, is on trial for killing her.

As opening statements got underway last week in a federal courthouse in Boston, the prosecution and defense presented very different versions of Sandra's final moments. The prosecution showed the jury security camera video of Farwell taking an elevator up to Sandra's apartment on the night of her death. They argued that Farwell was there to kill Sandra, who was pregnant and silenced her about their years-long sexual relationship that allegedly began when she was underage. Farwell admits he was in Sandra's apartment, but says he did not kill her. His defense team says she died by suicide after Farwell broke up with her that night. Here to help us get up to speed as Farwell's trial enters week two, is Dateline producer Cassie Marshall. Welcome to the podcast, Cassie.

Cassie Marshall (3:40)

Hey, Andrea. Glad to be here.

Andrea Canning (3:41)

So you and I have been covering this story together for a good while now. We did a Dateline episode called The Betrayal of Sandra Birchmore.

It's almost hard to believe we are here finally at a trial. And as we mentioned, Cassie, it's taking place in a federal courthouse. We're used to murder trials happening more at the state level. So this is a little different.

Cassie Marshall (4:01)

It is. It is. Personally for me, it's the first one I've covered in federal courthouse. I mean, the main difference is that cameras are not allowed in or any recording devices of any kind.

Andrea Canning (4:10)

The fact, Cassie, that this case is being tried by US attorneys, it actually has deep meaning in this case, why this is in a federal courthouse. It has to do with how everything unfolded with the investigation.

Cassie Marshall (4:23)

You're right. I mean, that was the focus of the hour that we did, that aired last year. The local county and the local DA concluded that it was a suicide.