Ten-year-old Richie Hancock was fatally stabbed in a Charleston, West Virginia apartment, along with 62-year-old Sherry Russell who had custody of him. The alleged perpetrator was Nicholas Hanshaw, Russell's son and the ex-boyfriend of Richie's biological mother Chelsey Hancock. Richie had been placed in Russell's custody in 2020 after Chelsey lost custody, with the understanding that Hanshaw would not be allowed around the children. Despite numerous reports to CPS by Chelsey about Hanshaw's violent behavior and mental instability, and despite four 911 welfare check calls in the past year, Hanshaw was often living in the apartment with the children. After the murders, Hanshaw took two of his own children to a car dealership in South Charleston and told employees he had committed murder and needed a car, leading police to discover the victims. Hanshaw was arrested on December 5 and charged with two counts of murder.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Both Documents 1 and 3 state that Richie Hancock and Sherry Russell "were found stabbed to death in a Charleston apartment." Document 3 says they "were both fatally stabbed Tuesday, allegedly by Russell's son Nicholas Hanshaw." Stabbing is a clear inflicted injury.
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Nicholas Hanshaw, who allegedly killed Richie Hancock, was the ex-boyfriend of Richie's mother Chelsey Hancock. Document 3 states: "Hancock told Eyewitness News she was with Hanshaw for about five years and was involved in several domestic battery situations." Document 1 describes Richie as "the child of his ex girlfriend," indicating Hanshaw was the mother's former paramour rather than Richie's biological father. As a male paramour (ex-boyfriend of the mother), Hanshaw fits this category.
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Document 3 states: "Hancock said she lost custody of her children, including Richie in 2020 and custody was granted to Sherry Russell, Hanshaw's mother." Richie was living with Russell, who was not his parent. Whether Russell qualifies as a "relative" is ambiguous: she was the mother of Richie's mother's ex-boyfriend. If Hanshaw were Richie's biological father, Russell would be his grandmother; however, the text describes Richie as "the child of his ex girlfriend," suggesting Hanshaw was not Richie's father, which would make Russell a non-relative custodian. Regardless, the child was clearly not living with parents at the time of the incident.
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Document 3 states: "Devastated and angry, Richie's mother Chelsey Hancock said she has been telling Child Protective Services for years about Hanshaw and his violent and erratic behavior." Additionally, "Despite numerous reports to CPS, she said nothing was ever done." There were also "four 911 calls for welfare checks from law enforcement over the past year." Chelsey also lost custody of her children in 2020, which indicates prior CPS involvement.
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Document 1 states: "Hanshaw was arrested on Dec. 5 for two counts of murder after his 62-year-old mother Sherry Russell and the child of his ex girlfriend, 10-year-old Richie Hancock... were found stabbed to death in a Charleston apartment."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Document 3 states: "Hancock told Eyewitness News she was with Hanshaw for about five years and was involved in several domestic battery situations." Document 1 also notes: "He has a criminal history that dates back to early 2000s but many of those were domestic battery cases." Multiple references to domestic violence by Hanshaw are present.
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Document 1 states Hanshaw had "drug and mental health issues." Document 3 quotes Chelsey Hancock: "He had serious mental health issues" and "he was definitely mentally unstable." These references to mental health pertain to the perpetrator who was living in the household.
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Document 1 states: "He has a criminal history that dates back to early 2000s but many of those were domestic battery cases." This criminal history predates and is separate from the current murder charges.
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Document 1 states: "Family members told Eyewitness News Hanshaw had a history of violent and erratic behavior dealing with drug and mental health issues." Hanshaw was living in the household with Richie and had access to the children. The reference to "drug" issues constitutes a mention of substance use by a household adult.
Notable Details
The documents describe significant systemic failures that contributed to the circumstances of this child's death. Document 3 reports that Richie's mother Chelsey Hancock "has been telling Child Protective Services for years about Hanshaw and his violent and erratic behavior" and that "Despite numerous reports to CPS, she said nothing was ever done." Even though Hanshaw "was not supposed to be around the children," Chelsey stated "he was often living with his mother and Richie and the kids were terrified of him." Document 1 also highlights a pattern of domestic violence victims not cooperating with prosecutions: "a pattern of the victims not wanting to move forward with cases which severely hampers what we can do." There were four 911 welfare check calls from the apartment in the past year. The DHHR declined to provide information on how many visits were made or if they received complaints about Hanshaw, citing confidentiality laws. Additionally, the crime was discovered in an unusual manner: Hanshaw took his own children to a car dealership and told employees he had committed murder and needed a car.
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