By Erin Tiernan and Beverly Ford — Erin@concordbridge.org
The Concord man who admitted to shooting a neighbor’s dog when it wandered onto his property last year struck a plea deal Tuesday that allows him to avoid a conviction and prison time in the pet’s death.
During an at-times emotional proceeding in Concord District Court, Edmund Fanning, Jr. of Lowell Road agreed to a deal to continue his case without a finding for two years on charges of animal cruelty and the malicious killing of a pet.
The charges stem from the shooting that ended the life of Stella, a 3-year-old Great Pyrenees.
The dog belonged to Jeremy and Anna Richmon, who live with their three children next door to the Fannings on Hugh Cargill Road, and who said in court that Stella’s death “shattered” the family’s “sense of peace and tranquility.”
In his plea, Fanning admitted prosecutors have sufficient evidence to convict him. Instead, the bargain means the charges can be dismissed if he meets the terms of the two-year probation.
The court barred Fanning from owning firearms, ordered him to have “no avoidable contact” with his neighbors, and required him to attend animal cruelty classes during his probation. If Fanning violates the terms, he faces a two-year prison sentence for each charge, which he would serve concurrently.
Judge Sharon Lalli nixed prosecutors’ request to forbid Fanning from owning pets after Fanning’s lawyer noted the defendant’s wife currently owns a cat.
Prosecutors dropped a third charge of witness intimidation.
Before accepting the plea, Lalli asked Fanning, “How old are you, sir?”
Fanning told the judge he is 75.
Erin Tiernan/The Concord Bridge
An apology
Speaking quietly, the architect apologized to his neighbors for the “hurt.”
“I’m horribly sorry for this accident that took place,” he said.
Assistant District Attorney Alex Kelly said video footage captured the fluffy white dog wandering into Fanning’s yard on September 12, 2023, along with “the sound of a gunshot” just before the dog returned home.
After getting the kids ready for school, Richmon’s wife, Anna, found the lethargic dog in the garage with drops of blood nearby. She rushed the pet to an emergency vet in Westford, but by the time they got there, Stella was dead. A subsequent necropsy revealed a small projectile between her ribs.
Initially, Fanning denied involvement in Stella’s demise, Kelly said in court.
Fanning later handed police a written confession. He said he’d taken apart the single-shot .22 caliber “Diana” air rifle and put it in the trash, according to a police report.
‘Living in fear’
Speaking in court Tuesday, Richmon said no verdict “will undo the heinous crimes committed or replace [what’s] been taken from our family.” His emotional appeal was interrupted for the delivery of assistive devices to Fanning, who was apparently struggling to hear the proceedings.
Richmon, addressing his neighbor directly, called out Fanning’s “failure to take immediate responsibility” for the actions that led to Stella’s death and for causing his family “additional emotional turmoil.”
Richmon said his family yearned for “healing and restoring a sense of normalcy” after nearly a year of “living in fear for our health and safety.”
Now, “We wish to retrieve Stella from the freezer where she currently remains as police evidence and finally lay her to rest,” he said, his voice cracking and tears welling in his eyes.
“This is the closure we need to move forward and find some semblance of peace.”
At odds
Peace between the Fanning and Richmon families has been elusive.
Court documents reference 14 barking dog complaints filed against the Richmons — most lodged by Fanning — in the years leading up to Stella’s death.
“This has been going on for a couple of years,” said Jennifer Condon, Concord’s animal control officer. “They were calling twice a week.”
Additionally, a fire Fanning started in his backyard last year to clear fallen limbs and other debris came within yards of the Richmon home, prompting a response by firefighters from Concord and four other communities, according to a report obtained by the Bridge from the Concord Fire Department.
That blaze, Jeremy Richmon said, was one of several complaints he’d filed about the burning of things in Fanning’s yard.
Approached by The Concord Bridge after the hearing, Fanning refused to discuss the case further, having declined repeated requests for an interview prior to Tuesday.
Fanning held open the courtroom door for Jeremy and Anna Richmon as he waited for his wife and lawyer in the hallway.
The neighbors did not speak.
This story has been updated.
