Office Shooting Suspect Arraigned

Prosecutors said the issue of unpaid back taxes may have triggered the murderous rampage on the day after Christmas by Michael "Mucko" McDermott, 42, a heavy-set, bearded employee at Edgewater Technology Inc. in Wakefield.

Amid heavy security, McDermott was arraigned on seven charges of murder Wednesday in Malden District Court. Pleas of not guilty were entered, and McDermott was ordered held without bail pending a Jan. 31 court appearance.

At the arraignment, prosecutors revealed that when arrested, McDermott had a bag filled with ammunition for his AK-47 assault rifle and shotgun and for a 32-caliber semiautomatic handgun found in his pocket. Another rifle and ammunition were found in his locker.

Assistant District Attorney Tom O'Reilly disclosed that ammunition and bomb-making materials were discovered in his Haverhill, Mass., home. There were media reports that McDermott had frequented an Internet site that provided bomb-making instructions.

All the victims – four women and three men – worked in the firm's human resources and accounting departments.

O'Reilly said there were "very little, if any, missed shots" as McDermott went from victim to victim. Some were frantically attempting to get away when shot in the back or head, he said. One man was found under his desk and a woman slumped over her keyboard.

McDermott, shortly after 11 a.m. Tuesday, walked by other workers and "specifically targeted the individuals we believe he shot" in a "methodical undertaking," O'Reilly said. Investigators found that 37 shots had been fired from the assault rifle and numerous rounds from the shotgun.

At one point he used his shotgun to blow open a door to an office in which several people had barricaded themselves. Inside he shot a man and a woman, O'Reilly said. He said another woman hid behind a coat in a chair under a desk and witnessed the shootings.

The suspect recently had been under psychiatric care, the prosecutor said.

Middlesex County District Attorney Martha Coakley earlier said two of the victims were shot to death in the reception area in the converted mill building, and the other five in their work cubicles.

Coakley said the motive may have been linked to unpaid back taxes.

"As best we can tell, the company received information from the IRS which asked them to help in the collection of back taxes he owed, taking a percentage but not all of his pay," Coakley said.

She said the company informed him last month that his wages would be garnisheed, but said that would not happen until after the holidays.

"We are investigating that as a possible motive, this being Dec. 26," Coakley told reporters Tuesday night.

She said the shooting began about 11 a.m. and lasted about 10 minutes.

"Suffice it to say there was an enormous amount of firepower involved today," Coakley said. McDermott was armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, a semiautomatic handgun and a shotgun. He had no permits for any of the weapons, Coakley said.

Police responding to numerous 911 calls reportedly spotted McDermott sitting in the lobby of the building near two of the victims. Officers subdued him without incident.

About 70 to 80 other people in the building at the time fled or hid until police helped them leave.

The dead were identified as office manager Janice Hagerty of Stoneham, human resources vice president Cheryl Troy; Louis Javelle of Nashua, N.H., a director of consulting; human resources worker Craig Wood; marketing worker Jennifer Bragg Capobianco of Boston, a new mother; technician Paul Marceau of Melrose; and payroll worker Rose Manfredi of Lexington.

No others were wounded.

Investigators believe McDermott may have brought the weapons into work before his regular start time.

McDermott, 6 feet 2 inches, about 260 pounds and sporting a full beard and long hair, was described by others as being a cross between Grizzly Adams and Bluto of "Popeye."

He was a Navy veteran who served aboard the nuclear submarine USS Narwhal. Reports said he was married in 1992 and divorced about five years later with no children.

McDermott had worked at the Internet consulting and software development firm since March. The company employs about 250 people in Massachusetts and has offices in Alabama, Arkansas, Minnesota and New Hampshire.

Co-worker Mike Stanley described McDermott as a "space shot" and "strange."

"Of all the people that I thought could have done this," Stanley said, "it was him."