John Elijah Matthews is accused of killing 66-year-old Margaret Swan during an unprovoked attack on a northbound train.

ATLANTA, Ga. — A Decatur man accused of stabbing a 66-year-old great-grandmother to death on a MARTA train now faces a federal charge after authorities said the attack unfolded without warning during a Saturday morning ride.

John Elijah Matthews, 25, was charged in Fulton County with murder after the May 30 killing of Margaret Swan, an Atlanta resident who was riding northbound between the Lakewood-Fort McPherson and Oakland City stations. Federal prosecutors later charged him with committing an act of violence causing death on a mass transportation system. The case has drawn attention because police said Swan and Matthews did not appear to know each other, the attack was captured by train cameras and passengers had only seconds to react.

Authorities said Swan boarded the train at about 11:21 a.m. and sat near a door while looking at her phone. About three minutes later, police said, Matthews entered the car and stood beside her. MARTA Police Chief Scott Kreher said the video showed no argument, threat or exchange between the two before Matthews pulled out a small knife. “There’s no evidence at this time to suggest they knew each other,” Kreher said. He described the attack as a random act of violence that ended in less than a minute.

The warrant account and federal filing describe a fast, violent sequence inside the moving train. Investigators said Matthews pulled a folding knife from his pocket and stabbed Swan in the chest and neck area as she tried to defend herself. Local reports citing the arrest warrant said she was stabbed 18 to 20 times. Police said passengers fled toward other parts of the train and called for help while the train continued toward Oakland City Station. The suspect did not attack other passengers, officials said. When the train stopped, police said, Matthews stepped onto the platform with the knife still nearby and did not run.

MARTA officers arrested Matthews on the platform shortly after the train arrived. Federal prosecutors said officers found him with blood on his clothes and recovered a bloody folding knife that appeared to match the weapon seen on surveillance video. First responders went into the train car and tried to save Swan, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office later identified her. Local reporting said the station was evacuated, service was suspended for several hours and shuttle buses were used to move stranded riders while police processed the scene.

Swan’s family said she had been returning home after visiting one of her daughters. Her daughter, Shanae Sams, said Swan was “the rock of the family” and described her as a mother of three, grandmother of five and great-grandmother to four. Relatives said she had worked for Atlanta Public Schools and was a steady presence in their lives. Sams said her mother had used MARTA many times before and had no reason to expect danger on that morning trip. The family’s grief soon turned to questions about who was nearby when the attack began and why help did not arrive sooner.

Those questions have put MARTA’s security system under scrutiny. The transit authority said it has about 12,000 security cameras across stations, buses and railcars, plus a dedicated police force of 280 sworn officers. Local reports also cited 30 field protective specialists, undercover patrols and a real-time crime center monitored during operating hours. MARTA said it understood the fear caused by the killing and remained committed to rider and employee safety. Kreher said the agency had already planned longer officer workweeks because of World Cup preparations, but moved up the increased staffing after Swan’s death.

Federal officials framed the case as both a murder prosecution and a mass transportation case. U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said Swan was “brutally killed in an unprovoked act of senseless violence” and said people who use dangerous weapons to kill or seriously injure riders on public transportation can face federal prosecution. FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Marlo Graham said Swan was “simply trying to get to her destination.” The federal complaint carries the possibility of life imprisonment or the death penalty if Matthews is convicted. The U.S. attorney general would decide whether prosecutors seek the death penalty.

Matthews is presumed innocent unless convicted. AP reporting said he waived a bond hearing after his arrest, and court records did not show that he had entered a plea at that time. Federal prosecutors said he remained in local custody and would appear in federal court later. Local reports said he was permanently banned from MARTA property. The case is being investigated by the FBI and the MARTA Police Department, and the federal complaint says at least one passenger told investigators Swan had no interaction with Matthews before the attack.

The killing came as transit agencies across the country continue to face pressure over high-profile attacks, even as federal data showed rider assaults had fallen from the two prior years. For Swan’s family, the broader numbers did little to soften the loss. Her granddaughter, Laquita Wooten, asked what reason there could have been for the attack and said nothing would bring Swan back. Sams said family members were left with the image of a woman who would not hurt anyone being killed during an ordinary ride home.

The train car, the platform and the station became evidence in a case that moved from a local murder charge to federal court within days. As of Monday, July 6, Matthews remained accused in the fatal attack, and authorities had not publicly named a motive.

Author note: Last updated July 6, 2026.