Crime

Student charged in Danvers murder allegedly told police he ‘wanted to kill someone for a long time’

Anthony DeMayo, a Bishop Fenwick High School senior, is charged with murder and home invasion in 68-year-old Janet Swallow's death.

Anthony DeMayo, at his arraignment Friday in Salem District Court. David L. Ryan / The Boston Globe

updated on March 14, 2026

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A Bishop Fenwick High School senior had a plea of not guilty entered on his behalf Friday in Salem District Court on murder and home invasion charges, a day after he allegedly broke into a Danvers home early in the morning and killed a woman as she slept.

Anthony DeMayo, 18, allegedly confessed to the killing while speaking to police, according to a statement of facts filed in the case. The victim, 68-year-old Janet Swallow, was found dead inside her single-family home at 17 Amherst St. on Thursday afternoon, Essex District Attorney Paul Tucker said later that day.

Tucker added that investigators had found no apparent connection between DeMayo and Swallow and believe the attack was random.

Prior to DeMayo’s arraignment, Judge Joanna Rodriguez ordered he undergo an evaluation for his competency to stand trail and criminal responsibility.

In court, Dr. Joyce Perrotta, a state forensic psychologist, said she interviewed DeMayo for a little over an hour with his attorney present and spoke to family members. “He presents today with depressive symptoms,” she told Rodriguez, “including restricted affect, anhedonia, and suicidal ideation. Indication is these symptoms have existed for some time.”

Perrotta ultimately recommended further evaluation of both his competency to stand trail and criminal responsibility at Bridgewater State Hospital, and Rodriguez later agreed, holding him without bail and setting a April 1 probable cause hearing.

According to the statement of facts, officers with the Lynn Police Department first encountered DeMayo on Thursday afternoon after 911 callers reported a man walking down Standish Street in the city while carrying a knife.

Standish Street is more than seven miles away from Swallow’s home.

Police identified the man as DeMayo and removed the knife from him.

“As the investigation unfolded, DeMayo informed Lynn Officers that he had killed a woman in Danvers the night before,” the court document says. “A red brown stain consistent with blood was also observed to be on the knife in his possession.”

Police then placed DeMayo in custody and took him to Salem Hospital under a Section 12 order to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

After he was read his Miranda rights, DeMayo continued speaking with investigators at the hospital. He allegedly told them that “he planned on committing this act for a long time, and wanted to kill someone for a long time.”

He also told the investigators that he drove around surrounding communities before stopping in front of a house under construction in Danvers. He allegedly said he then broke into a home by climbing through a window, ripping off a screen to get into the kitchen.

According to the document, DeMayo described the home as a one-level, black house on the corner of a street, consistent with where police later found Swallow dead.

After checking rooms in the house, he allegedly said he found a woman sleeping in one of the bedrooms. Per the document, he told police that he went into her bedroom and began stabbing her.

He then left the home and drove his car back to his home in Lynn, according to his alleged statements. He changed his clothes and stayed home for the rest of the evening.

Police, using the description of the house in addition to other information obtained from DeMayo’s cell phone, were led to 17 Amherst St.

Janet Swallow’s Danvers home. *David L. Ryan / The Boston Globe*

The statement says that his cellphone remained stationary in a Danvers neighborhood from midnight to 1 a.m. on Thursday.

Police said they found Swallow dead on the bedroom floor. In addition, the back window that led into the kitchen had a ripped screen, according to police.

Lynn police placed DeMayo under arrest at the hospital. He was later transported to the Danvers Police Station.

On Thursday, Danvers Police Chief James Lovell said Swallow’s two sons had been notified of her death.

“This is not only a tragedy for the town, for the school,” Tucker said. “This is just a very difficult case because of the randomness of this violence.”

On Friday, Tom Nunan Jr., president of Bishop Fenwick High School, said in a statement that the private Roman Catholic school in Peabody is cooperating with law enforcement. He noted the incident occurred off campus and did not involve anyone else from the school.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim, her family, and all who have been affected by this horrific tragedy,” the statement said.

In 2013, Danvers was rocked by another tragedy involving a high school student, when then 14-year-old Philip Chism stabbed Colleen Ritzer, a 24-year-old teacher, to death in a Danvers High School bathroom. Chism was convicted on murder and rape charges in 2015.