A Massachusetts man accused of killing his mother allegedly argued with her over her decision to foster more than 80 cats before sending a cousin a disturbing Snapchat message claiming he had “blew madre to pieces,” prosecutors said Thursday.
Ryan Hanafin, 22, was arrested in Vermont and extradited to Reading, Massachusetts, where he was arraigned on a first-degree murder charge in the death of his 49-year-old mother, Andria Hanafin.
Andria Hanafin’s husband, Matthew Hanafin, found her body at the family’s home shortly before midnight on Oct. 8, CBS reported.
According to prosecutors and court records, the conflict began after Ryan Hanafin clashed with his mother, a veterinary technician, over the number of cats she was caring for through fostering.
Authorities removed approximately 84 cats from the residence and brought them to a local MSPCA-Angell shelter, NBC 10 Boston reported.
Investigators say Ryan Hanafin last saw his father on the morning of Oct. 7, when Matthew Hanafin urged him to find a job and take steps toward building his future. That evening, Andria Hanafin reportedly called her husband and said she wanted their son to leave the home.
After allegedly shooting his mother, Ryan Hanafin contacted a cousin on Snapchat and wrote that he had “blew madre to pieces” and “blew her [expletive] smooth off,” prosecutors said.
He then allegedly fled Massachusetts for Vermont, where authorities arrested him on Oct. 8.
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Police said Andria Hanafin’s 13-year-old son was inside the home when officers found her in the kitchen with a gunshot wound to the head.
Prosecutors said investigators discovered more than 19 firearms in Ryan Hanafin’s bedroom, which they described as being in “hoarding conditions.”
He also faces additional charges because 15 of the weapons were allegedly left unsecured, CBS reported.
More than 100 people attended a vigil Wednesday to honor Andria Hanafin, who neighbors remembered as a caring person and a friendly presence in the community.
Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan told mourners that incidents like the alleged killing “are the kinds of things that frighten people.”
“They’re hard for kids to process,” she said.
“Even for folks like the police and fire department, we sometimes underestimate the trauma that these things cause to people. Yes, it’s their job to go and do that. That doesn’t make it easier.”
Ryan Hanafin pleaded not guilty. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Nov. 10.
