NEWTON, MASS. (WHDH) - A man from Newton accused of fatally assaulting his wife with a baseball bat and a barbell will remain held without bail after he pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge.
Richard Hanson, 64, was back in court on Thursday, a month after he was arrested on July 15 for the death of his wife, Nancy Hanson.
He appeared at Middlesex County Superior Court where prosecutors laid out their case, describing how he allegedly beat his wife to death while their three young children were inside their home, in another room.
“One of the children relayed seeing his father hitting the victim in the back and head with a baseball bat,” the prosecution said in court. “A second observed the defendant sitting on the bed in the aftermath, holding the bat.”
The prosecution reviewed how two 911 calls were made the night of the fatal assault, including one by the Hansons’ oldest son and another from a friend who was on the phone with the victim during the attack.
“[The friend] heard Nancy say ‘Rich, no’ before the phone dropped to the floor,” a prosecutor stated. “After a moment of silence, she heard several loud and repetitive bangs, as well as children screaming something to the effect of ‘Dad, stop, you’re killing her.'”
The prosecution also detailed how police found Richard Hanson covered in blood in the home’s driveway at the time of their arrival, allegedly attempting to apologize at one point.
Court paperwork previously showed how both Richard and Nancy Hanson had an extensive, documented history of marital problems, with Richard apparently taking out a restraining order against his wife in 2020.
Records also showed Nancy took out an order against her husband in 2021, which Richard later violated and was arrested over.
The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office said days before her death, Nancy Hanson had filed for a restraining order against her husband on Thursday, July 13, but police had not yet been able to serve the order before the attack.
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