WINCHESTER, MASS. (WHDH) - The Winchester Public Library reopened Tuesday for the first time following a deadly stabbing in a reading room over the weekend.
A man accused of stabbing a woman to death at the library Saturday morning was held without bail Monday. He pleaded not guilty to the gruesome crime.
Prosecutors said Deane Kenny Stryker, 22, was in the Winchester Public Library’s reading room when 23-year-old Jeffrey Yao approached her from behind. According to prosecutors, Yao stabbed Stryker as many as 20 times with a 10-inch hunting knife.
Prosecutors said Stryker managed to get up and ran towards the door but Yao followed, attacking her. When 77-year-old Lester Taber intervened to help Stryker, he was also stabbed.
“It’s a tragic situation and I express my condolences to the family of the young girl,” said Taber.
Grief counselors and police were on hand Tuesday to support staffers returning to work. Some patrons said they would not be returning to the library.
“The staff is devastated. Very upset. It all happened so quickly,” said Library Director Ann Wirtanen.
Stryker was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Family members said she was in her first year at medical school.
Police said he was on probation after he being arrested last September for allegedly breaking into a neighbor’s home.
Neighbors described Yao as “a little odd” and said they had reported him to police over the summer, telling officers he was troubled.
Yao’s attorney J.W. Carney said his client has been battling mental illness for years and said the attack was random. Carney said there is no indication Yao knew Stryker.
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