READING, MASS. (WHDH) - Hundreds of people gathered in Reading Wednesday night for a candlelight vigil to honor a woman found shot to death in her family’s home last week. Her 22-year-old son has since been charged with her murder.
Prosecutors said 49-year-old Andria Hanafin was found dead in the kitchen of her home on Center Avenue last Thursday. Police determined that her son Ryan Hanafin was not in the home, and he had allegedly fled in a Dodge Charger. He was eventually located and arrested later that day in Warren, Vermont by Vermont State Police. Troopers conducted a motor vehicle stop and he was taken into custody without incident, Vermont State Police said.
Andria was a veterinary technician who was known in her community for her dedication to rescuing and fostering cats. The MSPCA announced that the 84 cats she had inside her home will now be up for adoption.
“It was, like, in her heart that she was gonna save as many animals and people as she could. She was just – I can’t. It’s hard to understand this,” said Maura Stumpf, a friend of Andria’s.
“She was a very loving, she was kindhearted,” said Ellen Santangelo, another friend of Andria’s. “I knew it the moment I met her, and she loved me, I loved her. She loved a lot of people, and a lot of people loved her. She’s very loving.”
That nature is what inspired the message “Love like Andria,” which was seen written on signs at Wednesday’s vigil.
According to court documents, Andria’s husband told investigators that she and Ryan had argued about the cats she had rescued that were living in their home.
Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said Ryan Hanafin is set to return to Massachusetts and be arraigned in Woburn District Court Thursday afternoon. He is charged with first degree murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, 15 counts of improper storage of a large capacity firearm near a minor, and one count of receiving an untraceable firearm.
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