Psycho teen accused of fatally stabbing ICU nurse in random attack tells cops he ‘wanted to kill someone’ for a long time
Key Takeaways
- 18-year-old Anthony DeMayo fatally stabbed Janet Swallow, a 68-year-old ICU nurse, in Danvers, MA.
- He allegedly broke into her home through a window and attacked while she slept.
- He told police he long wanted to kill someone and carried out a random attack.
Incident and victim
Anthony DeMayo, 18, a senior at Bishop Fenwick High School in Peabody, Massachusetts, is accused of fatally stabbing 68-year-old Janet Swallow, an ICU nurse at Lahey Hospital in Burlington, while she slept in her Danvers home.
“A psycho Massachusetts teen accused of fatally stabbing a sleeping ICU nurse after breaking into her home allegedly told cops he carried out the random attack because he had long wanted to “kill someone”
Authorities say he busted through a window on Wednesday and Swallow was found in her bedroom with multiple stab wounds.
Officials said the two were not known to each other and the attack appeared random, with no evidence of robbery.
The incident occurred about 25 miles north of Boston.
Suspect actions, statements
Court documents show DeMayo told police that on the night of the killing he drove around nearby communities before stopping at Swallow's home, breaking in, and carrying out the slaying.
He allegedly admitted that 'he had been planning on committing this act for a long time, and wanted to kill someone for a long time.'
After the killing, he returned to his Lynn home and then, the next day, was seen in the victim's neighborhood waving a large knife, prompting terrified neighbors to call police.
A resident told 911 dispatchers, 'It was like a 6-inch blade, and he was just swinging his arm around, and then he just started stabbing all the bushes.'
Officials later found bloodstained clothing and recovered cell phone data that prompted a welfare check at Swallow's home.
Victim and hospital/community response
The victim was described as a mother of two sons and an ICU nurse at Lahey Hospital in Burlington.
“A psycho Massachusetts teen accused of fatally stabbing a sleeping ICU nurse after breaking into her home allegedly told cops he carried out the random attack because he had long wanted to “kill someone”
Colleagues described her as beloved and valued, and she will be greatly missed.
The alleged killer's private Roman Catholic school is working with police and offering counseling to students.
District Attorney Paul Tucker said, 'This is not only a tragedy for the town, for the school,' Boston.com reported.
'Our deepest condolences with her family and loved ones and her colleagues in the Nursing Department and across our hospital,' chief nursing officer Scott James said in a statement Friday.
Legal proceedings
DeMayo pleaded not guilty to murder and home invasion charges at his Friday arraignment.
He was ordered to undergo a mental evaluation and is being held without bail at Bridgewater State Hospital.
He is due back for a probable cause hearing on April 1.
The alleged killer's private Roman Catholic school is working with police and offering counseling to students.
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