Edgewater Technology Engineer Charged With Killing Seven Coworkers

A software engineer at Edgewater Technology, an internet consulting and services company, will be arraigned on Wednesday morning and charged with seven counts of murder after being arrested for allegedly killing seven co-workers in a shooting rampage.

Wakefield Police arrested Michael McDermott, 42, at the company's headquarters here at 20 Harvard Mill Square late Tuesday morning. Police said McDermott was found sitting stoically in a chair in the reception area of Edgewater's headquarters with several weapons within his reach.

In a press conference on Tuesday evening, Middlesex County District Attorney Martha Coakley said McDermott was subdued and "not uncooperative" when put under arrest. She said McDermott will be arraigned on seven counts of murder at Malden District Court.

Coakley said her office is investigating whether the shooting is related to Edgewater's plans to garnish McDermott's wages because of unpaid taxes owed to the Internal Revenue Service.

Coakley said that in a fairly routine procedure Edgewater had been contacted by the IRS about backtaxes owed by McDermott. She said company officials had told McDermott that something would be worked out with regard to the garnishment of wages after the holidays.

Coakley said the shooting appeared to target specific individuals rather than a "random spraying of bullets." She said the four woman and three men that were killed were involved in the business and accounting side of Edgewater's business, while McDermott was involved in Edgewater's software business.

The seven employees killed were identified as: Human Resources Vice President Cheryl Troy; office manager Janice Hagerty, payroll worker Rose Manfredi, marketing worker Jennifer Bragg Capobianco, consultant Louis Javelle, human resources worker Craig Wood, and development technician Paul Marceau.

McDermott, who lives in Haverhill,Mass, had worked at Edgewater for about one year and had no prior criminal record, said Coakley.

Coakley said McDermott reported for work as usual sometime about 9 a.m. in the morning. The shootings occurred later just before 11 a.m. Wakefield Police received the first 911 calls from company employees at 11:10 a.m.

Among the weapons confiscated at the scene were a semi automatic rifle, a 12 gauge shotgun and a semiautomatic pistol. "There is an enormous number of bullets and casings in the building," said Coakley.

The bodies of the employees that were killed had yet to be removed on Tuesday as a swarm of police and officials from a variety of law enforcement agencies spent the day investigating the crime and collecting evidence.

In a prepared statement, Edgewater Chief Executive Shirley Singleton said details of "this morning's events remain unclear at this time and we will be assisting the police in every way possible with their investigation. Pending this investigation, there is nothing further that we can add at this time.'.

Singleton added: "Everyone at Edgewater Technology is shocked and devastated by the loss of our friends. We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims' families at this tragic time." Edgewater will be closed until next Monday in the wake of the shooting

Edgewater is one of many internet consulting company whose shares have plummeted this year. Edgewater shares closed on Tuesday at $6.37, well off the 52-week high of $12.06.

Last week, Edgewater announced that it was offering $8 a share in a bid to buy back up to 57 percent of the company's common stock at a price of $130 million.

Edgewater's parent company had divested itself of other businesses and was putting its focus squarely on the Edgewater Technology's eSolution business. On December 15, the company sold its ClinForce clinical trials support division to Cross Country TravCorps for approximately $31 million.

Once the sale was completed in the first quarter of 2001, Edgewater officials said the company would be able to focus all of its energy and resources on its growing eSolutions business.

Edgewater Technology touts itself as a national full-service provider of tailored Internet-centric solutions. Edgewater Technology has focused its efforts on the middle-market, comprised of companies or divisions of companies that have between $100 million and $1 billion in annual revenues.

For the nine months ended September 30, Edgewater Technology posted sales of $23.4 million, an increase of 58 percent over the comparable period one year ago. Gross profit was $12.2 million, or 52 percent of sales compared to $8.3 million in the prior year.

Earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation, excluding unallocated corporate overhead, was $4.4 million, or 18.8 percent of sales, compared to $1.0 million in the comparable year ago period.

Edgewater Technology officials had said the company expects to conclude the year with sales of approximately $31 million with gross margin in the 50 percent range and with earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation margins in the mid-teen range before unallocated corporate expenses.

Edgewater said it expects 2001 sales growth will be at or above 30 percent and that the related earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation margin will drop to the low double digits with Edgewater picking up the costs of being a stand-alone public company.

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