A 22-year-old Massachusetts man arrested in Vermont on Thursday, hours after his mother was found fatally shot in her kitchen, has waived extradition and agreed to return to his home state.
Ryan Hanafin became the focus of an interstate manhunt after his 48-year-old father, Matthew Hanafin, arrived home at about 12:38 a.m. and discovered his wife, 49-year-old Andria Hanafin, dead from gunshot wounds in the kitchen of their Reading, Massachusetts, home, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said.
During a brief court hearing Friday afternoon, the local prosecutor said she had spoken with Massachusetts State Police and expected officers to retrieve Ryan Hanafin “pretty quickly.”
The judge and Hanafin appeared remotely, while only attorneys and members of the media were present in the courtroom. When asked whether he could hear the judge, Hanafin responded, “Yes sir.”
Hanafin appeared on the video feed wearing a blue protective covering over his chest and shoulders.
“You are charged with crimes, felony crimes, in the state of Massachusetts, and they would like to have you returned,” the judge told him. He explained that Hanafin could require the formal governor’s warrant process, in which the Massachusetts governor asks Vermont’s governor to surrender him. That procedure could take time while officials verify the paperwork before sending him back.
The judge also explained that Hanafin could file a habeas petition challenging Massachusetts’ authority to keep him in custody during that process.
“The most common basis for that might be that you were the wrong Ryan Hanafin,” the judge said. He then explained that waiving extradition meant giving up the governor’s warrant process and the opportunity to file such a petition, and asked whether Hanafin understood.
“Yes sir,” Hanafin answered.
The judge also asked whether Hanafin had taken drugs or had any mental health conditions that could affect his judgment or prevent him from understanding the proceedings.
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Hanafin replied, “No sir,” to both questions.
He said he had consulted with his attorney and understood the lawyer’s advice.
The judge then asked whether waiving extradition and returning to Massachusetts was Hanafin’s voluntary decision.
“Yes, that’s what I’d like to do,” Hanafin replied.
It was not immediately known when Hanafin would be returned to Massachusetts to face charges in Reading, where his mother was killed.
The judge scheduled a status conference for next Thursday to confirm whether the 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,” the judge said.
The hearing lasted approximately four minutes.
Reading police have described Hanafin as a person of interest rather than a suspect. Authorities have not publicly disclosed the Massachusetts felony charges mentioned during Friday’s extradition hearing.
Vermont state troopers had been searching for Hanafin’s black Dodge Charger in Warren, Vermont, where he had known connections.
About two hours into their search, they found him, and he was arrested without incident, authorities said.
