Opinion ID: 1494221
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Summary of Background Facts Leading to Trial

Text: The facts of this case, as developed in the evidence adduced over the course of this ten-week trial, are extensive. What follows in this section is a bare summary of some of the salient facts. More detailed facts are discussed in connection with the various sections of this Opinion dealing with specific issues presented on appeal. Anne Marie Fahey, the scheduling secretary for Delaware's then Governor Thomas Carper, was last seen alive on Thursday, June 27, 1996, when she went to dinner with Capano in Philadelphia. Fahey's family reported on June 30, 1996, that she was missing. An extensive investigation concerning her disappearance ensued. That investigation culminated in November 1997, over sixteen months later, in Capano's arrest for her murder. Fahey's body was never found, however, and the State was unable to establish the precise manner by which Fahey died. Capano was a well-known Delaware lawyer and former managing partner at the Wilmington office of a major Philadelphia-based law firm. He was estranged from his wife and is the father of four daughters. He has three brothers (Louis Capano, Jr., Gerard Gerry Capano and Joseph Capano) and one sister, Marian (Capano) Ramunno. [2] Fahey's disappearance was a mystery for a considerable time before Capano was charged with her murder. Capano, who was the last known person to have seen her alive on June 27, 1996, was an early suspect in the investigation by the Wilmington Police. By mid-July 1996, the FBI actively joined in the investigation, and a federal grand jury heard evidence for over a year. Capano continued to deny any involvement in Fahey's disappearance and even offered various explanations for her whereabouts. Throughout the investigation and until the Fall of 1997, Gerry and Louis Capano, as well as Deborah MacIntyre, a mistress of Tom Capano, continually lied about material evidence that could have implicated Capano, even to the extent of lying to the federal grand jury. In October 1997, Gerry's house was raided by federal agents who found illegal drugs and weapons. In November 1997 Gerry agreed to become a cooperating witness in exchange for a plea to reduced charges. Louis also began to cooperate with the authorities in November 1997 as part of a plea agreement. MacIntyre likewise eventually agreed to cooperate in exchange for an agreement not to be charged with perjury.