The man accused of murdering his mother at their Reading home last week returned to Massachusetts Thursday from Vermont, where he was arrested, and was arraigned in Woburn District Court.
Ryan Hanafin, 22, is charged with first degree murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, 15 counts of improper storage of a large capacity firearm near a minor, and one count of receiving an untraceable firearm.
Prosecutors said 49-year-old Andria Hanafin was found dead by her husband at their home on Center Avenue on October 8. Police determined that her son Ryan was not in the home, and he had allegedly fled in a Dodge Charger. He was eventually located and arrested later that day in Warren, Vermont by Vermont State Police. Troopers conducted a motor vehicle stop and he was taken into custody without incident, Vermont State Police said.
He initially appeared in Vermont Superior Court in Barre last Friday before he was extradited to Massachusetts. He was booked at the Reading Police Department before his arraignment in Massachusetts.
In court Thursday, Prosecutor Carrie Spiros revealed Ryan had not been getting along with his mother prior to her death. Andria was a veterinary technician who was known for her dedication to rescuing and fostering cats. The MSPCA said she had 84 cats in their home, which were taken and are now all up for adoption.
According to court documents, Andria’s husband told investigators that she and Ryan had argued about the cats she had rescued that were living in their home. Spiros said Andria spoke to her husband the night of the murder, shortly before 7 p.m. on October 7.
“And during that conversation Matthew Hanafin indicated that his wife expressed to him that she had been arguing with their son Ryan Hanafin and that she had wanted her son to move out of the home,” she said.
Spiros also told the judge that Andria told friends that Ryan was claiming she had ruined his life.
“She feared her son and feared retaliation from him, especially because he had access to firearms,” Spiros said.
Police reported finding 19 guns in the home, 15 of which were improperly secured.
The prosecution said they also had evidence that Ryan sent Snapchat messages to his friends, including a cousin, around the time investigators claim he killed his mother, who he referred to as “madre.”
“In one of the messages, Mr. Hanafin, Ryan Hanafin is telling his cousin that he ‘blew madre to pieces,'” Spiros said. “The investigation revealed that Ryan Hanafin and his mother had an ongoing dispute about the number of cats that were living in the home. Ms. Andria Hanafin was a foster parent to cats.”
Ryan was ordered held without bail. He is due back in court on November 10.
