Retired Massachusetts detective shot wife dead, staged it as suicide to retain his pension and be with lover: Prosecutors
Prosecutors revealed how a retired Massachusetts detective staged his wife's murder as a suicide after fatally shooting her in the head so he could retain his pension and be with his lover.
Brian Fanion is charged with the May 2018 murder of his wife Amy Fanion and apprehended by authorities on Wednesday, MassLive reports.
In the days leading up to Amy's murder, the 55-year-old former detective with the Westfield Police Department reportedly searched online for household poisons, gunshot residue and how he could retain pension amid a divorce.
According to the report, Fanion has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge leveled against him in connection with the 51-year-old's death last year.
After Amy's death on May 8, 2018, Brian allegedly told his friends that she had a self-inflicted gunshot wound and so her death was being investigated as a suicide.
Brian Fanion joined the police force in 1985. However, by the time he retired, he was an evidence room detective.
Brian was allegedly having an affair with another woman but did not want to give up his pension as a result of the divorce, said Assistant District Attorney Mary Sandstrom.
"There was only one way to enjoy his retirement and his new love affair... that was to kill his wife," Sandstrom told Judge Frank E Flannery.
According to her, forensic experts were able to determine that suicide was "impossible" considering the trajectory of the bullet did not coincide with that of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Judge Flannery agreed with Sandstrom when she asked for the former detective to be held without bail.
Meanwhile, Jeffrey Brown, the lawyer representing Fanion, claimed his client had never had an extramarital affair and that his wife Amy was suffering from anxiety.
"Her diary is replete with issues she was having… seeking God's help to get her through these issues," Brown said. "They're not interested in the truth here."