Community holds vigil for Reading, Massachusetts woman as son faces murder charge
Flowers and candles were held Wednesday night in remembrance of a Reading, Massachusetts, mother who was allegedly murdered by her own son.
On the same night that friends and neighbors held a memorial for Andria Hanafin, prosecutors announced her son Ryan Hanafin will stand before a judge Thursday afternoon, facing a murder charge and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in connection with the death of his mother.
From schoolteachers to town leaders and neighbors, hundreds came together at Memorial Park remembering Andria Hanafin by how she lived, as a beloved mom, veterinary technician, and florist with a heart for rescuing cats.
"There are moments when words simply aren't enough when the sadness, the shock and the heartbreak are so profound that we struggle to make sense of what has happened," said Town Manager Jayne Wellman.
"She was just a helper and a giver with all the cats she loved and had such a big heart," said friend Holly Gillette through tears. "I want to be there for her because I just love her so much."
The 49-year-old was found shot to death inside her Center Avenue home last Thursday.
Prosecutors say her 22-year-old son Ryan Hanafin is now charged in connection with her murder. He fled to Vermont and was arrested and held without bail as a fugitive of justice but will be brought back to Massachusetts.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan was at the vigil for Andria. "You never lose sight of the person at the heart of this, the loss to a family and to a community. These are the kinds of things that frighten people. They're hard for kids to process," Ryan said.
Court documents reveal tension in the home. Investigators say Andria's husband told police his wife and son "had been getting in several arguments recently about the cats in the house, which the victim was rescuing."
The MSPCA is now caring for 84 cats recovered from the home.
Court documents also show the mom relayed yet another argument over the phone with her husband and said she wanted their son out of the family home.
Investigators also say Ryan Hanafin had 19 guns in the house, 15 of them unsecured, and he faces charges for that too.
"No amount of training or experience prepares you for when the truly unthinkable happens in our town," said Reading Police Chief David Clark. "We stand with you as you grieve this profound tragedy."
The DA's office says Ryan Hanafin will be arraigned in Woburn District Court Thursday afternoon.
