Teen Said He “Wanted to Kill Someone for a Long Time,” Now Accused of Murdering Nurse in Random Attack

A high school student from Massachusetts is being accused of murder and home invasion in connection with the alleged random killing of a nurse. The 18-year-old teenager, identified as Anthony DeMayo, has been arraigned for the murder of a 68-year-old woman, Janet Swallow, on March 13, The Essex County District Attorney, Paul F. Tucker, announced in a press release.

According to the press release, the senior at Bishop Fenwick pleaded not guilty to the charges of murder and home invasion levied against DeMayo. He was ordered held without bail and was sent to undergo a mental health evaluation, the prosecution said.

Officers with the Lynn Police Department responded to a call from the area of Standish Road on March 12. After arriving, they found DeMayo 'acting erratically' while carrying a knife, the prosecutor alleged.

The Massachusetts police department then searched his residence and “recovered evidence leading them to conduct a wellbeing check at Swallow’s residence on Amherst Street in Danvers,” according to the district attorney’s statement.

Upon searching her residence on March 12, police found her deceased with wounds consistent with a homicide.

According to court documents obtained by CBS News, DeMayo had informed Lynn officers that he had killed a woman in Denver the night before.

DeMayo allegedly told investigators that “he planned on committing this act for a long time, and wanted to kill someone for a long time,” according to the court documents.

According to the police statement of fact, DeMayo said “he drove around surrounding communities, before stopping in Danvers, in front of a home that was under construction with a gray porta-potty out front.”

He then mentioned that “he located a home to break into, and he did so by climbing in through a window, ripping the screen from the window to climb through into the kitchen.”

The statement said DeMayo, after climbing into the kitchen, found a woman sleeping in the bedroom. He “went into her bedroom and started stabbing her neck. After the knife became stuck, he pulled her off the bed onto the floor.”

After this, DeMayo exited and then drove his car back to his home in Lynn.

At a press conference on March 12, Tucker said there is no evidence linking DeMayo to Swallow beyond the alleged crime.

“This tragedy just struck the Swallow family, the town of Danvers, and the Bishop Fenwick community, and they are all in our thoughts as we continue to investigate,” Tucker said.