Conviction June 27, 1996 Homicide

Anne Marie Fahey

Delaware Governor's scheduling secretary Anne Marie Fahey was murdered by her lover Thomas Capano, a prominent attorney. He disposed of her body at sea. Capano was sentenced to death.

Status
Conviction
Type
Homicide
Date
June 27, 1996
Location
Wilmington, Delaware
Age
30
Gender
Female
Decade
1990s
Where the case stands
  1. Open
  2. Partly resolved
  3. Charges or trial
  4. ClosedConviction

At least one person was convicted in connection with the case.

Timeline to scale
Each dot is a dated event below; the distance between dots is elapsed time. The darker dot marks the incident.
June 27, 1996: Anne Marie Fahey disappears after dinner with Thomas Capano.January 17, 1999: Capano convicted of murder; sentenced to death.September 19, 2011: Capano dies in prison.1996201115 years from incident to latest development
Delaware
1 case in Delaware. Select any state to browse its cases.
AlaskaAKMaineMEWisconsinWIVermontVTNew HampshireNHWashingtonWAIdahoIDMontanaMTNorth DakotaNDMinnesotaMNIllinoisILMichiganMINew YorkNYMassachusettsMAOregonORNevadaNVWyomingWYSouth DakotaSDIowaIAIndianaINOhioOHPennsylvaniaPANew JerseyNJConnecticutCTRhode IslandRICaliforniaCAUtahUTColoradoCONebraskaNEMissouriMOKentuckyKYWest VirginiaWVVirginiaVAMarylandMDDelawareDEArizonaAZNew MexicoNMKansasKSArkansasARTennesseeTNNorth CarolinaNCSouth CarolinaSCDistrict of ColumbiaDCOklahomaOKLouisianaLAMississippiMSAlabamaALGeorgiaGAHawaiiHITexasTXFloridaFL

On June 27, 1996, thirty-year-old Anne Marie Fahey, a scheduling secretary for Delaware Governor Tom Carper, disappeared after dinner with her secret lover Thomas Capano, a prominent Wilmington attorney and former deputy attorney general.

Fahey had been trying to end the relationship with Capano, who was married with four daughters. Friends and family reported she was afraid of him. When she didn't appear at work, police were called.

The investigation revealed that Capano had shot Fahey in his home, then enlisted his brother Gerry to help dispose of the body. They placed her in a large cooler, took a boat into the Atlantic, and dumped her overboard after weighing the cooler with chains. The cooler resurfaced and was found empty.

Capano was convicted of first-degree murder in 1999 and sentenced to death—Delaware's first death sentence in decades. His sentence was later commuted to life without parole. He died in prison in 2011.

1990s
  1. June 27, 1996
    Anne Marie Fahey disappears after dinner with Thomas Capano.
  2. January 17, 1999
    Capano convicted of murder; sentenced to death.
  3. September 19, 2011
    Capano dies in prison.

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About this entry

This case is recorded as conviction and is kept in the index for its historical and investigative significance. At least one person was convicted in connection with the case.

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Entry last updated September 29, 2026.