SALEM, Mass. — The case against a Massachusetts high school student charged in connection with the “random” killing of a woman in her North Shore home in March is expected to return to court on Wednesday.
Anthony DeMayo, an 18-year-old Lynn native and a senior at Bishop Fenwick High School in Peabody, has waived his right to appear at the probable cause hearing in Salem District Court, although new information could be revealed when the case is heard, Boston 25 News has learned.
DeMayo previously pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder in the death of Janet Swallow, a 68-year-old mother and nurse from Danvers.
During that arraignment, a forensic court psychologist who evaluated him concluded that the teen was showing signs of depression and risk of suicide, prompting a judge to order him to undergo a 20-day mental health evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital.
Officers responding to a 911 call for a person with a knife in the area of Standish Road in Lynn encountered a person carrying a knife, which had a “reddish-brown stain consistent with blood,” Essex District Attorney Paul F. Tucker announced at the time of the killing.
The person, later identified as DeMayo, was transported to Salem Hospital due to his “erratic behavior,” according to Tucker.
While a subsequent search of DeMayo‘s Lynn home was unfolding, he allegedly admitted to Lynn police officers that he had killed a woman the night before in Danvers, just as they located blood-stained clothing, Assistant District Attorney Erin McAndrews told the court during his arraignment.
DeMayo’s alleged confession and data on his cellphone led investigators to 17 Amherst Street in Danvers, where Massachusetts State Police detectives and Danvers officers found Swallow, a longtime resident of the town, dead from wounds “consistent with a homicide,” McAndrews said. DeMayo was then arrested and charged.
McAndrews also revealed new details during the arraignment, alleging that DeMayo broke in through a window of Swallow’s home and stabbed her to death while she was in her bed.
Investigators say the stabbing attack was “random,” and they believe DeMayo acted alone. They also noted that he had “wanted to kill someone for a long time.”
“This is not only a tragedy for the town, but for the school. This is just a very difficult case because of the randomness,” Tucker said.
In a statement, the president of Bishop Fenwick High School said the school was cooperating with the investigation, while also sharing condolences with Swallow’s family.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim, her family, and all who have been affected by this horrific tragedy,” he wrote in a statement shared with Boston 25.
DeMayo has been held without bail since his arraignment.
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