BOSTON (WHDH) - A Revere man accused of brutally murdering his wife, a beloved school teacher in Lynn, was ordered Tuesday held behind bars without bail at his arraignment in Boston’s Suffolk Superior Court.
Andrew MacCormack, 29, pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder in the death of his wife Vanessa MacCormack, 30. Family members and loved ones packed the courthouse on behalf of Vanessa as prosecutors detailed the motivation behind the alleged killing.
“It followed increasing conflict in the marriage. Externally, to most people, things looked good. They had a nice house, a baby daughter and they both had steady work,” prosecutor Ian Polumbaum said.
Vanessa was found dead on a Saturday afternoon in September inside the couple’s home on Grand View Avenue in Revere. Prosecutors said Vanessa had been strangled, stabbed several times and suffocated with a trash bag.
“The medical examiner’s opinion was that a combination of all these different types of violence killed Vanessa,” Polumbaum told the court.
In a prior court hearing, prosecutors said MacCormack left the house after the murder with the couple’s 1-year-old daughter, withdrew $100 from an ATM, bought cocaine in East Boston and then returned home, where he used bleach to wipe down the bloody crime scene before he called 911.
The drug dealer known to police said MacCormack was spending $400 to $500 a week on cocaine. Police said that on Aug. 31, Vanessa texted her husband and said, “I hate you so much, you’ve ruined our daughter’s life because she won’t have her parents together. I’ll talk to an agent tomorrow about listing the house and I’ll look into divorce lawyers.” They said MacCormack responded, calling her crazy and saying, “I’m not signing anything to sell the house or get divorced.”
The defense disputed the accusations, saying the two were happy together.
The defense adamantly denied the charges, accusing the prosecution of jumping to conclusions and twisting evidence to support their decision. Attorney John Hayes asked that his client only be held on $50,000 bail.
“In this case, I feel that it was justified. I feel the case against my defendant has some real issues,” Hayes said. “He should be allowed to be in his home fighting this case instead of sitting in a jail cell.”
Vanessa worked as a second grade teacher at Connery Elementary School. Family members described her as the world’s best mother to her daughter, a loving wife and a devoted daughter and sister.
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