A 29-year-old Worcester man already on parole for shooting a robbery victim in the back in 2020 was ordered held without bail this week after Lowell police say he strangled his former romantic partner, chased a family member with scissors, and shouted “suicide by cop” before officers tased him.
Seamus Carey appeared in Lowell District Court, where Judge Mary Phillips ordered him held without bail following a dangerousness hearing under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 276, Section 58A, according to the Lowell Sun. Middlesex Assistant District Attorney Brittany Correia asked the judge to hold Carey without bail, and Phillips deemed him a threat to the community. Carey faces charges including strangulation or suffocation, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a household member, intimidating a witness, disorderly conduct, and vandalizing property.
According to the newspaper's account, Carey allegedly strangled his former romantic partner and punched her in the head before chasing a family member of hers with scissors. Police say Carey fled down the street still holding the scissors, allegedly attempted to stab a police officer, and shouted “suicide by cop” as officers moved in. Officers ultimately used a Taser to take him into custody rather than resorting to deadly force — a tactic consistent with national law enforcement guidance, since federal analysis and Police Executive Research Forum research show that officers confronting suicidal individuals armed with bladed weapons other than firearms frequently rely on non-lethal alternatives like Tasers to avoid deadly shootings, according to the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin.
Body Camera Footage Played in Court
Police played body camera footage for Judge Phillips during the hearing, though the judge denied Carey's request to replay the tasing footage a second time. In court, Carey reportedly told the judge, “I'd rather stand your honor,” and separately said he knew he would not be released anyway. He is also accused of telling someone, “I'm going to cut you right there,” per the Lowell Sun's reporting on the proceedings.
Carey's attorney, Philip Weber, argued that a Section 58A detention was unnecessary because his client already had a Department of Correction parole detainer and would not be released regardless of the judge's bail decision. Weber said a 58A hearing is meant for cases where there are no other reasonable alternatives to incarceration, and he told the court Carey would face additional prison time tied to the parole violation. Carey reportedly expressed displeasure with Weber as his attorney and said he wanted to return to the Department of Correction.
A 2020 Shooting That Sent Him to Prison
Carey was on parole from a six-to-eight-year state prison sentence stemming from a May 2020 armed robbery in Worcester's Main South neighborhood. Police said at the time that Carey, then 23, approached a 39-year-old man near Main Street and King Street, demanded his valuables at gunpoint, and shot him in the back as the victim tried to flee, according to Patch. The bullet passed through the victim's body, and Carey fled with the man's chain and cellphone.
The victim was hospitalized for three weeks with a collapsed lung and permanent nerve damage that prevented movement in multiple fingers, as reported by AP News. Carey pleaded guilty in July 2021 in Worcester Superior Court to armed robbery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury. Judge James Gavin Reardon Jr. sentenced him to six to eight years in state prison, telling Carey he was “catching something of a break” given his record, which included prior indictments for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery on a police officer. Surveillance video from the robbery reportedly showed another man handing Carey a firearm. Carey also previously served time for cocaine possession, telling authorities at the time the drugs were for personal use, and a Worcester police officer called an ambulance after hearing the gunshot while other officers provided first aid to the wounded man.
Parole Hold and Pretrial Detention Stack Up
Weber said Carey's existing parole detainer means he faces additional prison time tied to the parole violation regardless of how the new Lowell case unfolds. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 127, Section 149, a parole violation warrant or detainer allows the state to return a parolee to prison to serve out the remainder of an original sentence, which explains why Carey could not have been released into the community even if the dangerousness hearing had gone differently.
Separately, the 120-day detention Judge Phillips ordered stems from the state's dangerousness statute, which permits prosecutors to seek pretrial detention of a felony defendant for up to 120 days in District Court when clear and convincing evidence shows no release conditions could ensure public safety. The Middlesex District Attorney's Office, led by DA Marian Ryan, routinely seeks these detentions in cases involving domestic violence, strangulation, or active threats to physical safety. Prosecutors may seek to extend Carey's detention if the case is not resolved within the 120-day window. Lowell District Court, where the hearing took place, serves as the primary venue for arraignments and dangerousness hearings originating across Lowell and eight surrounding towns.
Carey now faces a strangulation charge that carries its own separate statutory exposure. Massachusetts made first-offense strangulation a standalone felony in 2014 under Chapter 265, Section 15D, punishable by up to five years in state prison or two and a half years in a house of correction. His two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon carry similar maximum penalties under Chapter 265, Section 15B, which applies regardless of whether physical contact occurred. It remains unclear how long Carey had been out on parole before the Lowell incident, whether his former partner had an active restraining order against him, or when the Massachusetts Parole Board will hold a formal revocation hearing.
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