Pregnant 18-Year-Old Passes Away as 29-Year-Old Boyfriend Faces Charges

A young mother's life was tragically cut short, leaving her family shattered. While her boyfriend faces charges, a shocking dispute over a small pet may have triggered the fatal encounter.

The Rhawnhurst community is reeling after a young life was extinguished in a flash of violence that sounds more like a nightmare than reality.

Just when Lemmarra Bradshaw should have been preparing for a new arrival, her family is instead forced to say the ultimate goodbye.

A Life Cut Short

On the surface, what ended Bradshaw's life on the night of March 9, 2026, looked like a domestic dispute that spiraled out of control.

Bradshaw, just 18 years old and pregnant with her second child, was shot inside a home on the 7000 block of Langdon Street in the Rhawnhurst section of Philadelphia.

Her boyfriend, Robert Tatum, 29, was taken into custody and charged with voluntary manslaughter. Police classified it as an act of domestic violence.

The official account says the shooting was triggered by an argument over a hamster, a small pet Bradshaw's mother, Michelle Adekola, had bought for her daughter just the Saturday before.

Read that again: a hamster. But Bradshaw's family says what really ignited that night had nothing to do with any pet.

A Relationship Under Strain

In the days following her death, Bradshaw's family began sharing details about what they described as a troubled relationship.

They said the couple had been together for several years, but tensions had escalated in recent weeks.

According to her aunt, Tatum had been cheating on her. And Bradshaw, who her aunt describes as someone who refused to be walked over, had reportedly decided to respond in kind.

"He was cheating on her, and Lemmarra is the kind of person, she'll say if you're gonna do it, I'm gonna do it too," the aunt said.

So the hamster was never really about the hamster. It was the spark on top of a powder keg — jealousy, alleged infidelity, and a relationship the family says had been unraveling for weeks.

A Pattern Nobody Could Stop

Tatum and Bradshaw had been together for several years. But in the final stretch of that relationship, the family says things had turned dangerous.

Just two weeks before the shooting, Tatum allegedly punched Bradshaw in the face. Within 24 hours, she had gone back to him. "He manipulated her," her aunt said. "He's always in a jealous rage."

It is a pattern that is painfully familiar in abusive relationships — cycles of violence followed by reconciliation, each one harder to break than the last.

His Version

Then came Tatum's account of what happened that night. Sources say that he claimed Bradshaw came at him first with a knife and a screwdriver and that he fired in self-defense.

Bradshaw was 18 years old. She was pregnant. And according to her boyfriend, she was the threat.

Her family has not indicated they believe that version of events. Neither has the fact that he now faces voluntary manslaughter charges.

A Mother Already Familiar With Grief

For Adekola, the loss is not just devastating. It is a wound that has been torn open before. Bradshaw is the third child she has had to bury in recent years.

"My whole world is shattered right now," she said. "I am shocked that he killed her, because he had no reason to. He tore my heart in pieces. He took something special away from me."

What haunts her most is that Bradshaw was pregnant when she died, carrying Tatum's child. "She was carrying your baby; you should have more sympathy towards her. I don't understand that," Adekola said.

The guilt of not being there that night is something she carries too. "I never expected this. I never knew I'd bury my daughter," she said. "I feel like I didn't protect her enough to let this man kill my daughter, and I wasn't there to help her. It makes me feel broken inside."

A Community Responds

Bradshaw was a mother, a daughter, a granddaughter, a niece, a cousin, and a friend. She leaves behind a 4-year-old child and an unborn baby who never got the chance to arrive.

In the wake of her passing, loved ones have come together to support her family and honor her memory.

A GoFundMe set up in her memory has raised over $9,000 of an $11,000 goal, with 90 people donating to help Adekola cover funeral costs and get through the days ahead.

Her family describes her as someone with a bright spirit, someone who stood her ground, loved fiercely, and deserved far better than the end she was given.

What Comes Next

Police have described the case as an act of domestic violence, and Tatum remains in custody as legal proceedings continue.

As the investigation unfolds, questions remain about what truly led to that final argument and which version of events will ultimately hold up in court.

For now, Bradshaw's family says their focus is on remembering her life and supporting one another through an unimaginable loss.

A Week of Unspeakable Loss

While Philadelphia mourns the loss of a young mother-to-be, a similar cloud of grief has settled over the town of Danvers. Just days after the shooting on Langdon Street, another family has been forced to face a nightmare that feels entirely surreal.

There was no argument, no grudge, and no history between the victim and her attacker. Just a quiet street, a sleeping woman, and a confession that has left investigators and neighbors struggling to find solid ground.

Something Was Very Wrong in Lynn

The first sign that something was wrong came not from Danvers, but from a residential street in Lynn, roughly 10 miles away.

On the afternoon of Thursday, March 12, a woman called 911 after spotting a teenager on Standish Road doing something that didn't make sense. He was plunging a knife repeatedly into the bushes beside her home.

Lynn Police arrived to find Anthony DeMayo, 18, in a visibly disturbed state. The knife he was carrying had blood on it. Officers transported him to Salem Hospital, and it was there, in conversation with investigators, that the case cracked open.

DeMayo told them he had killed a woman in Danvers the night before.

Following the Evidence to Amherst Street

State Police secured a warrant to search DeMayo's Lynn home, and what they found there pointed them toward a residence on Amherst Street in Danvers.

Officers who arrived that Thursday evening to conduct a well-being check found Janet Swallow, 68, deceased inside. The manner of her death was consistent with homicide. DeMayo was placed under arrest at the hospital shortly after.

Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker held a press conference that same night. The detail he shared — the one that has lodged itself in the minds of everyone following the case — was about connection. Or rather, the complete absence of it.

"This was random. There was no connection between the defendant and the resident," Tucker said. "He had no connection to the home."

Chosen at Random

Court documents filed the following day filled in the geography of what happened. DeMayo had spent time driving through several towns that evening before pulling over in Danvers.

He selected a house, forced his way in through a kitchen window, and moved through the rooms until he found a woman asleep.

That woman was Janet Swallow. She had lived on that street for decades. She had no idea anyone had come in.

The documents also reveal what DeMayo told investigators about his state of mind, and it is the part of this case that has proven hardest to absorb.

He told investigators that "he planned on committing this act for a long time, and wanted to kill someone for a long time."

Not a snap decision. Not a breakdown in the moment. A plan, and a stranger's home in a neighboring town, is where it came to rest.

"This is a very difficult case because of the randomness of this violence," Tucker said.

Inside the Arraignment

DeMayo appeared before the Hon. Joanna Rodriguez in Salem District Court on Friday, March 13, 2026, where he was arraigned on charges of murder and armed home invasion. He entered a plea of not guilty and was denied bail.

A court-appointed psychologist flagged concerns about his mental state almost immediately, telling the judge she was "concerned about his rational understanding."

Rodriguez ordered a 20-day psychiatric evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital to assess whether DeMayo is fit to stand trial. He is scheduled to return to court on April 1.

DeMayo is a senior at Bishop Fenwick High School in Peabody. School president Tom Nunan, Jr. confirmed the institution is cooperating with law enforcement and that counselors were made available to students and staff on Friday, with further support provided the following Monday.

Nunan Jr. emphasized that the incident occurred entirely off campus and involves no threat to the wider school community.

The Fear That Settled Over Danvers

Word spread through Danvers quickly, and for those living nearest to Amherst Street, the randomness of it all has been the most destabilizing part.

Neighbor Jessica Mandri gave voice to what many were feeling: "It kind of adds to that fear that it could've really been anyone."

A male resident nearby said nothing in his years living there had prepared him for something like this. Danvers Police Chief James Lovell has since confirmed there is no continuing threat to the public connected to the case.

The Woman on Amherst Street

Swallow was not just a resident of that street — she was one of its fixtures.

For more than 20 years, she worked as an ICU nurse at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, showing up shift after shift to care for patients in some of the most critical moments of their lives. She leaves behind two adult sons.

Former neighbor Pat Russo, who lived two doors away on Amherst Street for over two decades before relocating to North Andover ten years ago, painted a picture of a woman whose instincts never really switched off.

Swallow worked nights, which meant she sometimes did the morning school run in her pajamas. One day, she spotted a stranger collapse nearby, got out of her car without a second thought, pajamas and all, and performed CPR on the spot.

"That was her!!!" Russo wrote in a tribute shared on Facebook. "I left with a huge hug and tears from my friend."

Her sister Susan Swallow described years spent side by side, raising children, marking holidays, showing up for each other through everything. "Thank you for always being there through thick and thin through the years!!" she wrote. "Fly high with the Angels."

A GoFundMe set up to support Swallow's family with funeral and memorial costs has drawn contributions from 862 donors, raising more than $53,000 toward a $65,000 goal.

The Words That Will Linger

Janet Swallow spent decades walking into rooms where people were frightened and suffering, and doing whatever she could to help them through.

By all accounts, that impulse extended well beyond hospital walls, into her neighborhood, her friendships, and the lives of everyone who knew her.

What happened on Amherst Street on the night of March 12 stands in sharp contrast to everything her life represented.

And the words DeMayo reportedly shared with investigators, that this was something he had wanted to do "for a long time," are likely to echo through this community long after the court proceedings are done.

All suspects and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.