18-Year-Old Accused of Randomly Murdering MA ICU Nurse

Anthony DeMayo, 18, is accused of breaking into a Danvers home and murdering an ICU nurse in a random attack. He is being held without bail for a mental health evaluation.

A Massachusetts teenager is accused of murdering an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse in what is described as a completely random attack after breaking into the victim's home during the night.

The suspect, 18-year-old Anthony DeMayo, is the teen arrested after police said he smashed a window to break into a home in Danvers and attacked the victim while she was sleeping.

The victim was identified as 68-year-old Janet Swallow.

Shocking confession to police

According to court records, the suspect told police that:

he had wanted to “kill someone for a long time.”

Prosecutors said the suspect:

drove around several neighborhoods before choosing a target
stopped at the victim's house
broke into the home through a window

Afterward, the suspect allegedly used a knife to stab the victim in the neck while she was sleeping in her bedroom.

Authorities said the two did not know each other, and the attack is considered completely random.

Unusual behavior after the crime

After leaving the scene, the suspect drove about 10 miles back to his home in Lynn.

The next day, he returned to the area near the scene and was spotted by neighbors brandishing a large knife wildly in the street.

A resident who called 911 said:

the suspect was swinging a knife at bushes
acting as if he were “practicing stabbing someone”

When police arrived, the suspect reportedly admitted to killing a woman the night before.

Evidence at the suspect's home

Police later searched the suspect's home and found:

blood-stained clothes
phone data related to the case

The suspect was quickly detained and arrested with a knife and evidence at the scene. Authorities immediately checked the victim's home and found her dead in her bedroom with multiple stab wounds.

Longtime ICU nurse

Janet Swallow was an intensive care nurse at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center.

Colleagues described her as a dedicated and well-loved employee. The fact that a kind woman died tragically in her own home has shocked the local community.

She was a mother of two sons.