Norton Rampage: Horrific Details in Murder, High-Speed Crash

NORTON, MA — Chilling details were released in the case of a Weymouth man who went on a murderous rampage Wednesday night—stabbing his wife to death in front of their three children then crashing head-on into a random vehicle on Route 495, police said.

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Martin McDonald, 35, was estranged from his wife, 34-year-old Julie Meede, authorities said, but on Wednesday night he drove to her Norton apartment at 2 Holmes St. for dinner, according to Bristol County Assistant District Attorney Stephen Nadeau.

That’s when he snapped—beating and stabbing Meede to death in front of four children inside the apartment. All of the children are under the age of 12; three of them belonged to the pair, while the fourth is a relative’s child, the Boston Globe reported.

One of the children tried to call police.

“The young girl then indicated that she tried to call 911 at which time the defendant struck her in the head area (and) took her phone so she couldn’t call 911,” Nadeau said in court Thursday.

Norton police said it was a tragic case of domestic violence.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim and her family during this difficult time,” police said in a statement.

After the murder, authorities said McDonald got into his Dodge Ram pickup truck, drove on Route 495, and veered into the opposite lane of traffic and struck another vehicle head-on. The other driver, a 30-year-old woman from Smithfield, R.I., was seriously hurt. She has since been released from the hospital, authorities said.

McDonald allegedly confessed to the murder at the crash scene. He pleaded not guilty Wednesday and was held without bail.

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• Norton Murder: Husband Pleads Not Guilty
• Norton Woman Murdered By Estranged Husband: Police
• Head-on Collision in Norton

Photo: Martin McDonald (center) arrives in Attleboro District Court Thursday morning for his arraignment on murder charges. (Credit: WHDH-7News)