PEABODY, MASS. (WHDH) - Students at Bishop Fenwick High School in Peabody returned to classes Monday after a senior at the school was arrested and charged with murdering a 68-year-old Danvers woman in a “random” attack Thursday, Danvers police said.
Prosecutors say Anthony DeMayo, 18, of Lynn, confessed to police that he broke into a home on Amherst Street in Danvers and stabbed Janet Swallow to death while she was in bed.
DeMayo was initially spotted walking through Lynn carrying a large, bloody knife when neighbors called 911. Prosecutors told the judge cellphone data from DeMayo’s phone placed him at the Danvers home where Swallow’s body was found.
Swallow was a mother of two sons. Her friends told 7NEWS she was a genuine and kind person.
Police said DeMayo had no connection to Swallow, and members of the community say that has been frightening and difficult to process.
Bishop Fenwick High School administrators told 7NEWS the incident did not involve any other members of the school and does not present any threat to the community, but they have made counselors available on campus.
Child Psychologist Dr. Ella Braaton said students should take advantage of that resource if they feel they need to talk to someone.
“If they have any sorts of questions or they’re feeling unsafe or confused, the counselors, in that case, really listen a lot more than they talk,” Braaton said. “It can be really hard when you have an adolescent. They don’t usually want to talk about things, so one way to open it up is to even say, ‘Hey, did you hear about this really tragic story? And did you hear about that? What do you think about that?’ And then let them sort of talk about it.”
DeMayo pleaded not guilty Friday to murder and home invasion charges. He was ordered to undergo a three week mental health evaluation.
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