Currently on trial for the December 2000 killing of seven co-workers in the Massachusetts Internet software firm, Edgewater, Michael McDermott is a perfect example of what happens when an employer does not adhere to the warning signs of textbook homicidal danger. This is a brief synopsis of the rampage that took place on December 26, 2000 and the warning signs that his employer should have taken to heart.
December 26, 2000 started out as a normal day at work. Most of the employees who had come into work the day after Christmas were looking forward to a relaxed day. Around 11 a.m., Michael McDermott hung up the phone after having a conversation with his car's finance company, picked up a semi-automatic pistol, a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and an AK-47 semi-automatic rifle, and then headed to the human resources department. On his way through the lobby, he ran into Cheryl Troy, the director of human resources, and the office manager Janice Haggerty.
Weiss Manfredi - Diana Center at Barnard College 1...
Weiss Manfredi - Diana Center at Barnard College 1...
Weiss Manfredi - Diana Center at Barnard College 1...There, he shot Troy five times and Haggerty two times. The next place that McDermott went was to the mezzanine. On the mezzanine, he shot Louis Javelle, the director of consulting, three times. As he worked his way through the offices, he shot Craig Wood, a human resources employee, five times and Jennifer Bragg-Capobianco four times. The last place that McDermott reached was the accounting offices. Even though the employees in this office had barricaded themselves in, McDermott easily entered by blasting through the door. Inside, he killed Paul Marceau with six shots. Finally, he stood face-to-face with the one employee who seemed to be ruining his life, Rose Manfredi, the payroll accountant. A month earlier, McDermott had been told that because he owed the government in the excess of $5,000 in back taxes, the company would be garnishing...