The Disappearance and Murder of Anne Marie Fahey
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I am afraid because I am in love with a man who has a family. . . . I fantasize my life with him all the time. He is very gentle, intelligent, handsome and interesting. — Anne Marie Fahey Diary Entry, April 24, 1994
Our relationship is finished. . . . I know it is my problem and my fault. . . . I told him things that were hidden inside me. — Anne Marie Fahey Diary Entry, April 26, 1994
I have finally brought closure to Tom Capano. What a controlling, manipulative, insecure, jealous maniac. . . . For one whole year, I allowed someone to take control of every decision of my life. — Anne Marie Fahey Diary Entry, April 7, 1996
Anne Marie Fahey’s disappearance from Wilmington, Delaware on the evening of June 27/early morning of June 28, 1996 did more than eventually destroy Tom Capano’s reputation, career and take away his freedom; it crushed the innocence of the city itself. Capano had been a mover and shaker in Wilmington, one of the people to be admired, in awe of, and envied. His relationship with Anne Marie and his decision to murder her would cast a long and ugly light on him and the circles in which he moved.
It says a lot about Capano that he thought he could take Anne Marie out for dinner on the night of Thursday, June 27, 1996, kill her at some point after, assume that no one would recognize she was missing until at least Monday (as she had that Friday, June 28 off from work) and that his account of events that evening would be taken and accepted without dissent. This arrogance would carry over into his trial where it would be out in full force as he took the stand and testified. To say that the jury hated him would be an understatement.
That Anne Marie’s disappearance would get the attention of the media and other higher ups, given that she worked for Delaware Governor Tom Carper, never seemed to occur to Capano. He must have been shocked when then President Bill Clinton had offered aid in the search for Anne Marie. When the television cameras from Hard Copy arrived in town a day after a front page New York Times article on her disappearance was printed in early July, he must have been downright apoplectic.
Capano had met the outgoing and bubbly scheduling secretary for Governor Carper in the spring of 1994…
