John Elijah Matthews charged with murder in the death of Margaret Swan aboard public transportation
Fox News
A 66-year-old Atlanta woman was fatally stabbed aboard a MARTA train in what transit police described as a random attack.
The victim, identified by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office as 66-year-old Margaret Swan, was attacked as a train traveled between the Lakewood-Fort McPherson and Oakland City stations, according to MARTA Police Chief Scott Kreher.
“This appears to be a senseless act of violence, and our thoughts are with the victim’s loved ones and those who witnessed this horrific incident,” MARTA said in a statement.
John Elijah Matthews, 25, is charged with murder malice in the death of the 66-year-old on board the public transportation.
According to the warrant obtained by FOX 5 Atlanta, the passenger was sitting alone on the train when Matthews began the alleged stabbing attack.
At 11:21 on Saturday, the CCTV reportedly showed Swan sitting alone on the train car. Just before 11:25, Matthews is seen on board, walking to the side of the train where Swan was sitting, standing near her alone.
Matthews, 19 seconds later, “is seen walking up to (Swan) and standing just to her right.”
Several seconds later, he allegedly took out a knife, opened it and cut the victim in the throat. 11Alive reported that Swan was stabbed 18 to 20 times in an unprovoked attack.
During the attack, the warrant said, the victim was screaming for help as she was continuing to get stabbed. The suspect was then seen on the CCTV cameras “throwing [Swan] to the floor and standing near her until the train arrived at the Oakland City Station,” less than two minutes later, according to the warrant.
When the train arrived at Oakland City, according to the warrant, Matthews got out with a knife still in hand as officers rushed to the scene. Matthews was arrested and charged shortly after.