A man was charged with murder in the killing of his wife this weekend, with disturbing new details revealed in court Monday about the death at their Newton, Massachusetts, home Saturday night.
The children of Nancy and Richard Hanson were allegedly in the home during the killing. He is accused of fatally beating her with a baseball bat; she was found lying on the floor of a child's bedroom with injuries to her head, prosecutors said in Newton District Court.
Richard Hanson, 64, was held without bail on the murder charge after previously being arrested on charges of assault with intent to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury. It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney who could speak to the charges.
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Two people simultaneously called 911 around 8:30 p.m. to report the attack: one of 54-year-old Nancy Hanson's children, who heard her yell to call police, and a friend who was on the phone with her at the time, prosecutors said. That friend allegedly heard the phone drop, then three loud bangs, and children screaming, "Dad, stop, you're killing her."
Officers found Richard Hanson in the driveway, covered with blood, and told one, "She was cheating on me. I can't believe I did that. I can't believe I did that," according to prosecutors.
Nancy Hanson was found with blunt-force injuries. She was taken to Brigham and Women's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead around 9:30 p.m. Her death was ruled a homicide. The medical examiner found her skull, arms and several ribs were broken, with other injuries as well, according to prosecutors.
Authorities initially said they believed that Richard Hanson hit his wife "with one or more objects multiple times." The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined her cause of death to be blunt-force trauma.
The children were placed in the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, a spokesperson said.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
A restraining order was issued against Richard Hanson in Newton District Court on Thursday and Newton police had been attempting to serve it but weren't successful, according to authorities.
The household was known to police due to ongoing domestic and verbal disputes. Over the past few years, the couple had been granted restraining orders against each other at separate times – at least one of which Richard Hanson was criminally charged with violating last year.
The child who called 911 was interviewed by investigators and said the couple had been fighting and this week it got worse, prosecutors said in court.
In her application for a restraining order last week, Nancy Hanson said her husband had taken her phone, laptop, pocketbook and car keys and was yelling curse words at her over "conversations about a man or about an innocent friendship I have with a male," according to court paperwork.
"He hasn't given me access to our finances in over a year…. He's drinking, stole all kids money and spends $10,000 on shoes," the document said.
In a previous application for a restraining order, filed in July 2021, Richard Hanson is accused of saying, "'I should just kill you" as well as shutting off her phone and stealing her prescription medication.
The April 2020 restraining order that Richard Hanson took out against his wife wasn't available to be viewed in court.
"I was in shock because he never talked about anything bad happening with his family," said Jonathan Slopak.
He and his sister, Jessica Slopak, have known the family since they were in kindergarten and were friends with one of the children. They added that Nancy was a very caring mother and that the children as devastated.
"We really hope that the boys are going to persevere and that their futures have a lot and they are going to go far in life. They really didn’t deserve this. They are wonderful kids," Jessica Slopak added.
"Nancy's absolutely the brightest most wonderful personality," said a next-door neighbor who did not want to be identified. "She just went out of her way to say hi to our kids. We walked to school together."
Neighbors, who say Nancy had just recently hosted a birthday party for her dog, are stunned by the violent attack.
"Not even knowing that someone is suffering and going through all this stuff it breaks your heart and it really makes you want to reach out to those people in the same situation and tell them to get help and get out," said the neighbor.
"When we don't talk about it is how these things happen, so as a society, we really need to have honest, open discussions about domestic violence," said neighbor Leatha Adams. "I feel very sad for the children, who have no parents now."
Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller issued a statement on Sunday, saying that her heart goes out to Nancy Hanson's family and friends and referring to a recent triple killing that rocked the city.
"I am writing this just three weeks after the tragic murders of Jill and Bruno D’Amore and Jill’s mother, Lucia Arpino," Mayor Fuller said in her statement. "Our community is reeling, and I know so many of us are feeling unsettled. This is the time to reach out to family, friends, faith leaders and mental health professionals rather than hunkering down and going it alone."
The investigation into the killing of Nancy Hanson was ongoing.
