Michael Mcdermott

Mass Murderer

Michael McDermott and the 2000 Wakefield Massacre

Overview

Michael Morgan McDermott was responsible for a workplace mass murder at Edgewater Technology in Wakefield, Massachusetts, on December 26, 2000. Armed with several firearms, the 42-year-old computer support employee entered the company's offices shortly after Christmas and deliberately killed seven coworkers. The victims included employees working in human resources, payroll, administration, consulting, marketing and technical support. The attack occurred at Edgewater Technology's offices at 200 Harvard Mill Square, approximately 12 miles north of Boston. McDermott did not fire randomly throughout the building. Evidence presented during his trial indicated that he moved through specific office areas and targeted people connected to the company's management, payroll and human-resources operations. No one was physically wounded and left alive; all seven people he shot were killed.

Michael McDermott's Background

Michael Morgan McDermott was born on September 4, 1958, in Plymouth, Massachusetts. He was originally named Michael McDermod Martinez and grew up in Marshfield. After graduating from Marshfield High School in 1976, he enlisted in the United States Navy. He served for approximately six years as an electrician's mate, including service aboard the nuclear-powered submarine USS Narwhal, and received an honorable discharge. McDermott later worked at the Maine Yankee Nuclear Power Plant and for the battery manufacturer Duracell. During 2000, after leaving Duracell, he accepted a computer-related position at Edgewater Technology. Coworkers generally described him as technically capable but socially withdrawn. He was known for wearing dark clothing and was sometimes called "Mucko" by people in the workplace. By the end of 2000, McDermott was experiencing serious personal and financial difficulties. He had fallen behind on rent, owed federal back taxes and was facing an Internal Revenue Service collection action. Edgewater Technology had begun withholding money from his wages in response to an IRS levy. Prosecutors later argued that his anger over this wage garnishment was the central motive for the murders.

Events Leading to the Shooting

Edgewater Technology's payroll and human-resources employees were responsible for processing the government-ordered deductions from McDermott's pay. The company reportedly withheld hundreds of dollars from at least one of his paychecks shortly before the attack. Investigators believed McDermott blamed particular employees for the deductions, even though they were complying with a federal order rather than making a personal decision to take his money. In the period before the shooting, McDermott obtained and prepared several weapons. He possessed a semiautomatic rifle patterned after an AK-47, a 12-gauge Winchester shotgun and a .32-caliber semiautomatic pistol. He carried the firearms and a large supply of ammunition into the Edgewater Technology building on the morning of December 26, 2000. ...

Confirmed Victims: (7)

Jennifer Bragg Capobianco 29 yr old Female

Michael McDermott - The New York Times