Background: A man in Massachusetts is accused of killing his mother during a heated argument about animals and his job prospects, then later joking about the incident on Snapchat.
The victim was identified as 49‑year‑old Andria Hanafin, the defendant’s mother, according to the Reading Police Department and regional independent station WHDH. He now faces a murder charge.
On Thursday at about 12:38 a.m., police responded to a 911 call reporting a woman found dead inside a home on Center Avenue in Reading, Massachusetts, a town roughly 10 miles north of Boston.
The victim’s husband had just returned from work and discovered his wife lifeless in the kitchen, WCAX reported. Officers arrived to find her body and immediately began gathering evidence while dozens of cats roamed freely throughout the house.
Andria Hanafin was a well‑known cat foster and veterinary technician, and the rescue cats she cared for reportedly fueled a feud between mother and son.
Court documents reveal that Ryan Hanafin argued with his mother over the cats. On Wednesday evening, Andria told her husband she wanted Ryan to move out, prompting the husband to yell at his son and demand that he find a job.
After the confrontation, the defendant shot his mother and fled the scene. Police noted that he previously worked at a gun shop, held a carry permit, and discovered 19 firearms in his bedroom. His carry license was suspended the day the body was found.
Investigators later learned that both Ryan Hanafin and his vehicle were “unaccounted for.” He was eventually apprehended by Vermont State Police.
During the probe, a friend of the suspect disclosed that Ryan messaged him on Snapchat after the alleged shooting, making a flippant joke about killing his mother.
Ryan Hanafin was arraigned in Vermont Superior Court on Friday and is being held without bail. He is slated for extradition to Massachusetts, where he will face a murder charge along with more than a dozen firearms offenses.
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