Women Dies After Being Stabbed At Winchester Library

WINCHESTER – A 22-year-old woman was stabbed and later died Saturday in an incident at the Winchester Public Library, according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Winchester Chief of Police Peter MacDonnell. The suspect, Jeffrey Yao, 24, of Winchester, was placed into custody at the library in connection with this incident. A 77-year-old man was also stabbed and was being treated at an area hospital.

Shortly after 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 24, 2018, Winchester Police responded to the Winchester Public Library for a report that two people had been stabbed. Upon arrival, police located an adult female in her 20s and an elderly male both suffering from stab wounds. Both victims were transported to area hospitals where she later died.

Yao allegedly approached the woman, who was sitting at a table in the library reading room, from behind with a hunting knife according to Ryan.

"Mr. Yao began striking her with what we now know was a hunting knife with a 10-inch blade and she suffered a number of slash and stab wounds," she alleged.

The woman left the table and attempted to get to the front lobby. A number of patrons in the lobby came to her aid and one, the 77-year-old man, was also stabbed. Those same patrons cornered Yao and held him until police arrived.

Yao, a 2012 graduate of Winchester High School, according to reports online, is being held without bail and will be arraigned on Monday in Woburn District Court. Yao, who was known to police according to Ryan, is charged with murder and assault to attempt to murder with a dangerous weapon. The circumstances surrounding the stabbing, including the motive are under investigation.

The victim's name has not been released and won't be until a next of kin is notified, Ryan noted in a press statement. The incident is still an open investigation being conducted by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, Winchester Police, and Mass. State Police assigned to the District Attorney’s Office.

Photo by Bob Holmes. Yao image via Winchester Police.