As a child near Boston she trusted police officers. One of them groomed and killed her, prosecutors say | CNN

Sandra Birchmore planned to announce her pregnancy on Valentine’s Day. On February 1, 2021, as a blizzard swept through eastern Massachusetts, the 23-year-old holed up in her apartment in the Boston suburb of Canton. She was about 10 weeks pregnant and had shared the news with only a handful of people. In two weeks, she intended to post a pink-and-blue poster on social media decorated with tiny footprints. “I’m expecting a new little one to love,” it read. “My own little Valentine arriving September 2021.” With snow piling up outside, Birchmore stayed mostly indoors and prepared for motherhood. She texted a friend about newborn clothes, searched for nursery furniture and chose a maternity photographer. At 5:33 p.m., a surveillance camera captured video of her stepping outside to retrieve a windshield snow brush in turquoise leggings and a dark puffy jacket, her hair piled into a high bun. They are the last known images of her alive. Police found her body three days later in a seated position on her bedroom floor. A duffel bag strap was looped around her neck and tied to a closet door handle. Her phone lay inches from her body and had locked at 9:13 p.m. on February 1, f