Massachusetts man pleads not guilty to killing his mother after argument over cats
By Veronica Haynes, Ted Wayman
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READING, Massachusetts (WCVB) — A 22-year-old Reading, Massachusetts, man was arraigned in Woburn District Court Thursday on murder and other charges in connection with the death of his mother.
Ryan Hanafin, who was extradited from Vermont, was delivered to court by U.S. Marshals and Reading police.
Prosecutors allege that Hanafin shot his mother, Andria Hanafin, inside the family’s home on October 8 following an argument about the number of cats being kept in the house. He is charged with first-degree murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Prosecutors said Andria Hanafin died from a gunshot wound to the head.
In court, prosecutors focused on Hanafin’s gun collection.
“Ryan Hanafin always carried a firearm on his person. A search of the lower bedroom where Ryan Hanafin was living at the time uncovered that his bedroom was in hoarding conditions and that there were 19 firearms in the room,” prosecutors said.
Charges include 15 counts of improper storage of a large-capacity firearm near a minor and one count of receiving an untraceable firearm.
Hanafin pleaded not guilty and was held without bail. He will return to court Nov. 10.
What happened to Andria Hanafin in Reading? Reading police received a 911 call at 12:38 a.m. Oct. 8 from Matthew Hanafin, 48, who said he returned to his Center Avenue home and found his wife, Andria, 49, dead. The couple’s 13-year-old son was home at the time.
“Mr. Hanafin reported that he had been at work from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. and that his younger son had last seen his mother around 5 p.m. when he left the house to travel around town with some friends,” Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said. “When the younger son returned home at 9 p.m., he went directly to his room and did not see his mother.”
When police arrived, they located the victim, who had sustained an apparent gunshot wound to the head, according to prosecutors. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Where was Ryan Hanafin arrested? Police determined that Hanafin was not in the home when they arrived and that he had fled in a 2010 black Dodge Charger. He was located and arrested in Vermont later that day.
What prosecutors say led to the shooting According to court documents, Matthew Hanafin told investigators he last spoke with his wife around 6:50 p.m. after returning several missed calls. He said they briefly discussed an argument involving their son, Ryan, over cats Andria was rescuing. Matthew Hanafin said Ryan had recently been involved in several disputes over the cats.
During the call, Andria Hanafin told her husband she wanted Ryan to move out of the family’s home.
Police said Ryan Hanafin sent a Snapchat message about something he told his cousin the night of his mother’s death, writing: “Told him I blew madre to pieces and he believed me.”
How many firearms did police find in the home? Police said they found 19 firearms in the family’s home and that Ryan Hanafin had 10 firearms registered in his name. Ryan Hanafin had a Massachusetts license to carry firearms, but that license was suspended after the incident.
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