By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-10-16 01:01:21 | Updated at 2026-10-16 01:45:07
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A crazed Massachusetts man accused of gunning down his mother had gotten into a heated dispute with her for fostering more than 80 cats — and then sent a disturbing message to his cousin that he blew “madre to pieces,” prosecutors revealed Thursday.
Ryan Hanafin, 22, was captured in Vermont and extradited back to Reading, where he was arraigned on first-degree murder charges after allegedly murdering his 49-year-old mother, Andria Hanafin, at their Massachusetts home.
Her body was discovered by her her husband, Matthew Hanafin, around midnight on Oct. 8, according to CBS.
The deadly dispute allegedly erupted after Ryan Hanafin sparred with his mother, a veterinary technician, over the amount of cats she was fostering, according to officials and court documents.
Roughly 84 felines were recovered from the home and transferred to a local MSPCA-Angell shelter, according to NBC 10 Boston.
Authorities allege that Ryan Hanafin last saw his father on the morning of Oct. 7 when he told his son to seek a job and do something with his life. Later that evening, Andria Hanafin called her husband and told him that she wanted their son to move out.
After Ryan Hanafin reportedly shot his mother, he messaged a cousin over Snapchat that he “blew madre to pieces” and that he “blew her [expletive] smooth off.”
The suspected gunman then took off and headed for Vermont, where he was arrested on Oct. 8.
Andria’s 13-year-old son was in the home when Andria Hanafin was found with a gunshot wound to the head in her kitchen, according to police.
Police found more than 19 firearms in Ryan Hanafin’s bedroom, which was in “hoarding conditions,” according to prosecutors.
He is facing additional charges because 15 of the guns were not secured, CBS reported.
More than 100 community members showed up at a Wednesday vigil for the slain mom, who is remembered as a caretaker and friendly neighbor.
Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said at the vigil “you know, these are the kinds of things that frighten people.”
“They’re hard for kids to process,” she continued.
“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 and is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 10.
