Suvechha Sarkar
The quiet town of Westfield, Massachusetts, was struck with an unforeseen tragedy in May 2018 when Amy Jean Fanion was found deceased in her home. What initially appeared as a death by suicide soon unraveled as something much darker as the detectives started searching for answers. CBS’ ’48 Hours: The Detective’s Wife’ dives deep into the investigation surrounding the circumstances of her passing and the discovery of a heinous plot. It also features accounts from the law enforcement officers who worked in the case and from her loved ones.
Amy Fanion’s Death Was Initially Deemed a Suicide
Born on June 8, 1966, in Massachusetts, Amy Jean Hansen arrived in this world as a ray of light in the lives of her parents, Patricia and Richard L Hansen. Sometime in their lives, her parents went their separate ways. Richard went on to marry Mary Burke, while Patricia settled down with John Tarrant. Amy shared a good bond with the respective partners of her mother and father. Amy was quite proud of her blended family and grew up surrounded by the love of all her siblings – Heidi, Carl, Holly Fanion, Eric, Neil, Anna, Jon, Mary Gillman, and Jessica. She also fostered a close bond with her step-siblings, Jeff, Brian, and Erin Burke. Amy’s life was always filled with laughter, and she was a woman of faith, which led her to be compassionate. She was a smart student and was known for her nice nature.
In 1982, at just 16 years of age, Amy met the love of her life, Brian E. Fanion, and the duo shared their forever vows in 1985. Soon after, they welcomed their son and daughter, Travis and Tori Fanion, into their lives with immense joy. Amy found her biggest strength in being a mother and poured her soul into parenthood, which she considered the most rewarding job in the world. She had a special affinity towards outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, and biking, and found serenity in nature. Amy always lived to serve her community and often volunteered in her church. Everything was sailing smoothly until May 8, 2018, when her life came to an abrupt halt. Around 1 pm, Brian called 911 and reportedly informed them that Amy had shot herself.
As soon as the officials arrived, they found her dead on the dining room floor at her home in Westfield, Massachusetts. They discovered that she had one gunshot wound to her head, and the dining room was scattered. There was blood spatter around the window frame and also on a pair of glasses set on the table. Investigators also found the shell casing in the dining room and tried to determine the projected direction of the bullet. When the autopsy results arrived, her cause of death was determined to be from the gunshot wound. However, it stated that her manner of passing was undetermined, and the gunshot was inconsistent with a self-inflicted wound. Furthermore, there was no gunpowder residue found on her, which reportedly indicated that the gun was fired from a distance.
A Key Piece of Evidence Revealed the Killer to be Someone Close to Amy
When Brian was questioned, he reportedly explained that he and Amy were in a continued argument from the previous day regarding his retirement and their dog. When things started to heat up, he allegedly went to the bathroom and, after coming out, saw her standing with his duty weapon in her hand. He alleged that he was standing at a 4 to 5-foot distance when she pulled the trigger. His brother-in-law, Eric, reportedly informed the officials that he was behind the house when he heard Brian’s cry for help and found the shocking scene after arriving in the room. Further questioning of Brian revealed that Amy recently did not have any mental health problems, but he alleged that she had anger issues. Besides this, he informed them that he had a female friend, Cory Knowles.
After checking Brian’s phone, detectives reportedly discovered some deleted text messages between him and Cory that pointed toward an affair. He was again questioned on May 17, 2018, and he confessed to the affair. However, Brian provided the officials with a conflicting account of the fateful day and claimed that Amy was sitting while the incident happened. On May 24, 2018, his house was searched, and investigators collected his home electronics, office desktop, and laptop. On investigation of the latter, his searches regarding poisons turned up. Additionally, he had also browsed a video on gunshot residue tests days before the murder. Ballistics experts concluded that the shot was fired from at least 18 inches of distance.
Amy’s text messages from the previous day did not provide the detectives with any indication that she planned to die by suicide. All these pieces of evidence accumulated against Brian, and ultimately, on November 6, 2019, he was arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of Amy Fanion. His trial began on February 23, 2023, and the case was transferred to a jury on March 21, 2023. After just two days, the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Shortly after, he appealed his conviction, but no decision has been made on that matter yet. Brian is currently serving his sentence in the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, located in Milford, Massachusetts.
