Andrew MacCormack remains behind bars for the murder of his wife, Massachusetts schoolteacher Vanessa MacCormack. The 30-year-old was found dead inside her home in September.
A look at Vanessa's Facebook page reveals a seemingly happy couple with a young child stepping over the threshold of their new home. A deeper investigation by police revealed financial problems, a drug habit and a possible divorce in the works. Andrew pleaded not guilty to Vanessa's murder but was ordered to be held without bail.
Below is a look at everything we know so far about Vanessa's murder.
Thirty-year-old schoolteacher Vanessa MacCormack was found strangled and stabbed to death with a garbage bag over her head inside her Revere, Massachusetts home Sep. 24. Police arrived at the home after her husband, Andrew MacCormack, called 911.
A preliminary autopsy report found Vanessa died as a result of blunt force injuries to the head, sharp force injuries to the neck and asphyxiation, according to police.
Andrew, 29, was arrested and charged with Vanessa’s murder after police reviewed surveillance footage and phone records and interviewed witnesses.
Prosecutors alleged that her husband killed Vanessa inside their shared home then cleaned the scene with bleach before leaving and purchasing $100 worth of cocaine.
Vanessa and Andrew were married for more than two years and had purchased a home in November 2015, according to her Facebook page. The pair had a 1-year-old daughter together.
Andrew pleaded not guilty to his wife’s murder. He was ordered to be held without bail.
Vanessa allegedly discovered Andrew had been using money from the couple’s bank account to buy cocaine and threatened to leave him and sell their house, according to documents. She had spoken to her mother about their issues, according to investigators.
Vanessa allegedly confronted Andrew about financial problems and his drug habit in the days before her death. “I want answers, it’s the least I deserve,” she texted him Sep. 3, according to court documents. “I hate you so much you’ve ruined [our daughter’s life] because she won’t have her parent’s together,” she said in another text dated Aug. 31. “I’ll talk to [an agent] tomorrow about listing the house and I’ll look into divorce lawyers.”
Text messages from Andrew allegedly revealed that he was pushing back against Vanessa. “Ur crazy,” he replied, according to the documents. “I’m not signing anything else to sell the house or get divorced.”
Andrew allegedly told Vanessa that his bank account was compromised by hackers for Thailand who took thousands of dollars. Vanessa, however, discovered he was lying and confronted him via text message, according to People magazine. “Don’t you dare get frustrated with me you deserve to be questioned,” she wrote. “It seems like you think being nice to me for four days would fix everything but it’s not that simple. You never did the things I said would need to happen if you want me to stay with you like going to marriage counseling, stepping it up financially, communicating [with] my family.”
Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley called the crime “domestic violence, committed in the very place where [Vanessa] should have been safest — her own home.”
Andrew was previously accused of domestic violence by a past girlfriend in 2011, according to MassLive. The allegation was dropped but bore “some parallels to Vanessa’s death.”
Lawyers for Andrew denied allegations that he killed Vanessa. “They were going through some problems, but they were happily married,” said Public Defense Attorney John C. Hayes. “They were going to look forward to their life together.”
Vanessa’s sister described her as “the world’s best mother” who did “everything for her daughter.”
