Senior Goes on Rampage at 55-and-Over Community
Man stabs woman to death hours before he's scheduled to appear in court for harassment claims
NBCPhiladelphia.com
Anthony Milano, 65, was taken into custody by police after allegedly stabbing three people.
An 88-year-old woman was killed and two other people wounded when a man went on a knife-wielding rampage in a normally quiet 55-and-over community in Linwood, N.J. Thursday morning, Atlantic County authorities said.
Anthony Milano, 65, fatally stabbed his downstairs neighbor, Catherine McGowan, and wounded her 60-year-old daughter Diane Nehmad after ambushing them in the parking lot of The Village At Linwood complex, prosecutors said.
“He came downstairs and attacked the lady below him,” resident Gil Finkelstein said.
Investigators said Milano also attacked neighbor Eugene Pepper, 84, when he tried to intervene. The suspect was pulled off one of the victims by a Good Samaritan and a Linwood Police sergeant, then immediately arrested, authorities said.
“There is a weapon we took into evidence. It is a folding knife,” Atlantic County Prosecutor Theodore Housel told reporters at the scene of the rampage.
“It’s a terrible tragedy. An awful, awful tragedy. I’m informed there hasn’t been a homicide in this town in over 20 years,” Housel said.
Residents said there had been problems with Milano recently, but things never got physical until Thursday.
“He was banging on the walls and threatening people. He thought people [were] after him all the time. He was paranoid. It’s a shame,” said Verna Reynolds.
“Over the last 60 days, there had been quite a few complaints and police had been out here many times,” Finkelstein said.
Residents told NBCPhiladelphia that McGowan moved out last week because she feared for her life and came back Thursday with her daughter to collect some belongings. In fact, Milano carried out the attack just hours before he was scheduled to go to court on harassment charges, prosecutors said.
“Apparently the fact that it was coming to a crisis and him having to appear in court, pushed him over the edge,” said Finkelstein.
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, Nehmad and Pepper were both listed in fair condition at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City.
Milano has been charged with murder, two counts of aggravated assault, and weapons offenses.
Posted Thursday, Oct 8, 2009 - 7:16 PM EST
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