BOSTON, Nov. 14, 2017—A Revere man remains held without bail following his arraignment on an indictment charging him with first-degree murder in the homicide of his wife, 30-year-old Vanessa MacCormack, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

ANDREW MacCORMACK (D.O.B. 3/2/88) is accused of killing Vanessa MacCormack in their Grand View Avenue home on Sept. 23. He was arrested by Revere Police and State Police homicide detectives assigned to Conley’s office three days later and arraigned in Chelsea District Court on Sept. 27. The Oct. 31 indictment moves his case to Suffolk Superior Court, where his trial was scheduled for Nov. 5, 2018.

Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum, chief of the DA’s Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Unit, told the court that Vanessa MacCormack’s homicide took place “following some conflict in the marriage” that included financial problems and “suspected drug use, denied by him but confirmed by the investigation.” The investigation also revealed that Vanessa MacCormack had planned to sell their house and considered a divorce because Andrew MacCormack had “ruined their lives,” Polumbaum said.

On Sept. 23, Polumbaum said, Andrew MacCormack left the home at about 8:30 am, circled a liquor store a few minutes away, and headed back. Video footage from the area showed him driving away from the home again at about 12:50, taking a circuitous route to a friend’s home in Saugus, where he assisted with some carpentry. He left at about 2:15 and met a person in East Boston to buy cocaine, then returned home after stopping in a parking lot for about 30 seconds. During this time, he sent texts to her phone and was in contact with her mother; Polumbaum said the evidence suggested Vanessa was already dead at this time.

Andrew MacCormack was on the phone with Vanessa MacCormack’s mother when he entered the home. He allegedly said that her keys and car were there, then said she was on the floor and asked her mother to call 911. Her mother told him to perform CPR, at which point he allegedly said that she was dead.

Revere and State Police found Vanessa MacCormack face down in the bedroom with significant trauma to her head and neck. Polumbaum told the court that pathologists determined that she had suffered multiple stab wounds to the back and sides of her neck, multiple slash wounds to the front of her neck, and broken bones and cartilage inside her neck.

There were no signs of forced entry at the scene. Investigators noted the strong smell of bleach inside the home. Vanessa MacCormack’s body showed signs of a chemical burn consistent with bleach; when speaking with investigators, Andrew MacCormack complained of a rash that he allegedly claimed was from a new detergent. Investigators found no bleach or bleach containers within the residence, Polumbaum said. An examination of Andrew MacCormack’s vehicle revealed traces of blood on the steering wheel, driver’s seat, and door, Polumbauim said.

The victims of any crime, including domestic violence, should call 911 in an emergency. SafeLink, a statewide DV hotline, can be reached at 877-785-2020. SafeLink is answered by trained advocates 24 hours a day in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, as well as TTY at 877-521-2601. It also has the capacity to provide multilingual translation in more than 140 languages.

Kate Lagana is the DA’s assigned victim-witness advocate. Andrew MacCormack is represented by attorney John Hayes. The case returns to court on Dec. 12.

–30–

All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.