WOBURN, Mass. (Court TV) — A man accused of killing his mother stood silently in court on Tuesday as his attorneys agreed to give prosecutors access to the defendant’s phone.
Ryan Hanafin appears in court on Nov. 10, 2026. (Court TV)
Ryan Hanafin, 22, has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in the death of his mother, Andria Hanafin.
At a brief hearing on Tuesday, prosecutors said they had reached an agreement with the defendant’s attorneys to gain access to his phone. Ryan Hanafin’s attorneys confirmed they were willing to turn over the information, but noted they were not waiving any objections or requests to suppress data found after the search.
Investigators were called to the victim’s home in October after her husband reported finding her dead, Law&Crime reported. First responders said they had to work quickly after arriving because of the number of cats in the home.
Andria Hanafin was a veterinary technician known for fostering cats, but the animals allegedly became a source of contention with her son before her death. In court documents reviewed by WHDH, investigators said the victim and defendant argued about the cats, leading Andria Hanafin to tell her husband she wanted her son to move out. The victim’s husband told police he had yelled at Ryan Hanafin and told him to get a job.
While Ryan Hanafin had worked at a gun shop and had been licensed to carry, investigators said that license was suspended the day the victim’s body was found; police reported they found 19 guns in the defendant’s bedroom.
After the shooting, police searched for the defendant before eventually locating him in Vermont, where he was taken into custody and extradited to Massachusetts.
Court records indicate that a friend of the defendant’s told the police that Ryan Hanafin messaged him on Snapchat after the shooting, joking about killing his mother, WHDH said.
Hanafin also faces more than a dozen weapons charges. The judge scheduled him to return to court on Dec. 21 for a probable cause hearing.
