Alleged Office Killer Faces Charges

Wednesday, December 27th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WAKEFIELD, Mass. (AP) â€” A software engineer who allegedly gunned down seven co-workers at their Internet consulting company may have been upset by a request to trim his wages to repay back taxes after the holidays, authorities said.

Michael McDermott, 42, wielded a semiautomatic rifle, a shotgun and a pistol as he made his way through the offices of Edgewater Technology on Tuesday, leaving in his wake shell casings, bodies and bullets, prosecutors said.

Some of the four women and three men killed worked in the accounting department, which was recently served with an order from the Internal Revenue Service to begin to garnishee McDermott's wages. Last week, he had an angry outburst over the dispute, said one employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

``Everything appears to be targeted at the individuals, rather than indiscriminate spraying of gunfire,'' said Middlesex County District Attorney Martha Coakley.

McDermott was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Malden District Court on seven counts of murder.

The company had recently agreed to the IRS order but was going to wait until after the holidays to start taking out what McDermott owed in back taxes, plus interest, Coakley said. The amount owed was ``a couple thousand'' dollars, said a person familiar with the IRS order, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

In a statement, the company said McDermott's actions ``apparently stem from occurrences in his personal life.''

``There was no way to anticipate his actions or any apparent reasons to restrict his access to the building,'' the company said.

Coakley said McDermott did not have a permit for any of the weapons he was carrying. She said he had no prior criminal record.

Police found McDermott sitting silently in the reception area, a body nearby, his weapons within reach. He was arrested without gunfire. Co-workers and neighbors described the former U.S. Navy submarine electrician as quiet, surly and quirky.

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington, who met with McDermott, was hired by McDermott's family.

``They are a very nice family. Obviously they are very distraught,'' he told the Boston Herald. ``But they are standing by and supporting their son and brother. ... Everybody is stricken over the enormity of these circumstances.''

McDermott was a software tester who had worked at the company since March, said Mike Stanley, a team projects leader. He said McDermott recently had been coming in late and his performance wasn't as good as it could have been, but declined to elaborate.

``He had nothing to do with any of them,'' Stanley said, a tear running down his right cheek. ``It seems like a random ridiculous thing.''

A co-worker who spoke on the condition of anonymity said McDermott went by the nickname ``Mucko'' â€” something his nieces and nephews came up with when they couldn't pronounce Michael. He even had it on his car's license plate.

Kevin Forzese, who lived upstairs from McDermott in Haverhill, said the suspect had never mentioned money problems. He also said McDermott had mentioned that he collected antique guns, but he had never seen any weapons in McDermott's apartment.

``He never talked about the company,'' Forzese said. ``I talked to him about money and he said he was doing really well.''

Edgewater employs approximately 240 people in Massachusetts, said John Cooley, director of investor relations. The company is in the process of moving its headquarters from Fayetteville, Ark., to Wakefield. The company also has offices in Alabama, Arkansas, Minnesota and New Hampshire.

``It's a great company, a wonderful company,'' said employee Nancy Pecjo, who rushed to the building after hearing the news.

The victims were identified as Jennifer Bragg-Capobianco, 29, from marketing; Janice Hagerty, 46, a receptionist from Stoneham; Louis Javelle of Nashua, director of consulting in the company's Manchester, N.H., office; Rose Manfredi, from payroll, who would have been 49 on Wednesday; Paul Marceau, 36, of Melrose, a development technician; Cheryl Troy, the human resources director; and Craig Wood, 29, of Haverhill, from human resources. All ages and hometowns were not immediately released.