Danvers Murder Teen Suspect's 'Incompetent' Ruling To Be Challenged In Court: Essex DA

DANVERS, MA — The Essex County District Attorney's Office said prosecutors intend to challenge a District Court judge's preliminary finding that the teen suspect in the brutal and seemingly random killing of a Danvers woman last month is incompetent to stand trial.

According to prosecutors, Anthony DeMayo, 18, of Lynn, confessed to the killing of 68-year-old Janet Swallow in her Danvers home after Lynn police found him walking on Standish Road in that city carrying what appeared to be a blood-stained knife.

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The Bishop Fenwick student was arraigned on murder and home invasion charges in Salem District Court on March 13 and was ordered to undergo the evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital.

"On Wednesday, a justice of the District Court made a preliminary finding, without a hearing, based on the opinion of an evaluator at Bridgewater State Hospital, that the defendant is currently incompetent," the Essex DA's Office told Patch in a statement on Thursday. "The Court's finding was made without prejudice, and the Commonwealth will have the right to challenge Bridgewater's opinion after the case is arraigned in Superior Court on May 11."

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Those who lived in the Standish Road neighborhood of Lynn called police after they said they saw DeMayo acting erratically, waving the knife as he walked down the road.

Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker said in March that the ensuing investigation led them to the Amherst Street home in Danvers, where they found 68-year-old Swallow dead.

"We believe, as of this point, that DeMayo acted alone," Tucker said at a news conference the night Swallow's body was discovered.

Prosecutors said it appears DeMayo chose to break into the Danvers home randomly after scoping out other homes in that area, and that there appeared to be no connection between the suspect and the victim.

Prosecutors said the teen found the victim sleeping and stabbed her in the neck.

"It is the kind of event that causes people to ask difficult questions," Danvers Police Chief James Lovell said that week. "How could this happen here? Why Danvers? Those questions are understandable. When something like this happens in a place we call home, it shakes our sense of safety and touches the entire community."

Lovell said his officers will "continue working every day to ensure that Danvers remains a place where people feel safe in their homes and neighborhoods."

"This loss is being felt across our town, and many are struggling to make sense of it," Lovell said. "Events like this affect people in different ways. I encourage anyone who is struggling to lean on family, friends, and the support systems within our community."