Ryan Hanafin Waives Extradition, Agrees to Return to Massachusetts

Ryan Hanafin waived extradition in Vermont on Friday and agreed to return to Massachusetts, where he faces unspecified felony charges, a court hearing showed. Authorities have identified him as a person of interest in the investigation into his mother’s death, but have not publicly named him as a suspect in the homicide or established that he killed her. Hanafin, 22, told a Vermont judge that returning to Massachusetts was his choice. By waiving extradition, he gave up the formal process in which Massachusetts would seek his return through a governor’s warrant, as well as the option of challenging his detention through a habeas petition, the judge explained. The judge scheduled a status conference for the following Thursday to check whether Massachusetts had completed the transfer. The timing of Hanafin’s return was not confirmed at the hearing. The felony charges referenced by the judge had not been publicly identified in the reporting. Hanafin was arrested in Vermont on Thursday after an hourslong search. Vermont State Police found him in the Warren area, where authorities said he had ties, and took him into custody without incident.