BARRE, Vt. — Ryan Hanafin, the 22-year-old Massachusetts man arrested in Vermont on Thursday after his mother was found fatally shot in her kitchen, has waived extradition and agreed to return to Massachusetts.
Hanafin became the focus of a multistate search after his father, 48-year-old Matthew Hanafin, came home at about 12:38 a.m. and discovered his wife, 49-year-old Andria Hanafin, dead from a gunshot wound in the kitchen of their Reading home, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said.
During a brief court hearing Friday afternoon, the prosecutor said she had been in contact with Massachusetts State Police and expected authorities to bring Hanafin back to the state “pretty quickly.”
Ryan Hanafin, 22, of Reading, Massachusetts, was arrested in Vermont more than 12 hours after his father discovered his mother dead in their kitchen. Vermont State Police released this mugshot. (Vermont State Police)
The judge and Hanafin participated remotely in the hearing, while attorneys and members of the media were present in the courtroom. When asked whether he could hear the judge, Hanafin responded, “Yes sir.”
During the video appearance, Hanafin wore a blue protective covering over his chest and shoulders.
A Facebook selfie shows Andria Hanafin, 49, of Massachusetts. Her husband, Matthew, found her dead early Thursday, and their oldest son, Ryan, was arrested in Vermont later that day. (Andria Hanafin/Facebook)
The judge explained that Massachusetts was seeking to have Hanafin returned to face felony charges. He said Hanafin could either agree to return voluntarily or wait for the formal governor’s warrant procedure, in which the governor of Massachusetts would request his surrender from Vermont—a process that could take additional time while officials reviewed the required paperwork.
The judge also told Hanafin that he could pursue a habeas petition challenging Vermont’s authority to continue holding him.
Ryan Hanafin appears by video during an extradition hearing in Vermont on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. He waived extradition and is expected to return to Massachusetts to face unspecified felony charges. His mother was found shot dead in her kitchen early Thursday, Oct. 8, prompting an interstate search in which he was identified as a “person of interest.” (Rashid Umar Abbasi for News Outlet)
The judge noted that a habeas challenge could, for example, be based on an argument that authorities had detained the wrong person. He then asked Hanafin whether he understood that waiving extradition meant giving up both the governor’s warrant process and the ability to file such a petition.
“Yes sir,” Hanafin said.
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The judge also questioned Hanafin about whether he had used drugs or had any mental health condition that could impair his judgment or prevent him from understanding the hearing.
Police in Reading, Massachusetts, provided this image of Ryan Hanafin, 22. He was identified as a person of interest after his mother was found dead in her kitchen at about 12:38 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (Reading Police Department)
Hanafin answered “No sir” to both questions.
He also told the court that he had consulted with his attorney and understood the legal advice he had received.
The judge then asked whether Hanafin was voluntarily choosing to waive extradition and return to Massachusetts.
“Yes, that’s what I’d like to do,” Hanafin replied.
The Hanafin residence in Reading, Massachusetts, where police say 22-year-old Ryan Hanafin was arrested in Vermont after his father returned home and found his wife dead in the kitchen. (Google Maps)
Officials had not immediately announced when Hanafin would be transported to Massachusetts to face charges connected to his mother’s fatal shooting in Reading.
The judge set a status conference for next Thursday to make sure Hanafin’s transfer had been completed.
“We’ll set it for status next Thursday just to make sure Massachusetts has retrieved him, and if they haven’t yet, we’ll ask for some status report on that,” he said.
The entire hearing lasted roughly four minutes.
Reading police have so far called him a person of interest and not a suspect, and authorities have not publicly identified the Massachusetts felony charges referenced during Friday’s extradition hearing.
Vermont state troopers were on the lookout for his black Dodge Charger in Warren, Vermont, where he had known ties. About two hours into their search, they found him, and he was arrested without incident, authorities said.
