Overview
- Anthony DeMayo, 18, was arraigned in Salem District Court on murder and home invasion charges, pleaded not guilty, and was ordered held without bail for a roughly 20‑day psychiatric evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital.
- The case began with a 911 call in Lynn about a man carrying a knife with a reddish‑brown stain, and officers took DeMayo to Salem Hospital due to erratic behavior before placing him in custody.
- A statement of facts says DeMayo told officers he had killed a woman in Danvers and said he had wanted to kill someone for a long time, describing a break‑in through a window and details of the house.
- Investigators said cellphone data placed his phone in a Danvers neighborhood around midnight to 1 a.m., and a search of his home recovered clothing with stains consistent with blood before police found Janet Swallow deceased at 17 Amherst Street.
- Authorities say the attack appears random with no known link between DeMayo and Swallow, a 68‑year‑old longtime Danvers resident and Lahey Hospital ICU nurse, and they believe he acted alone with no ongoing threat to the public.