Thomas Latanowich forfeits nearly $30K in civil settlement connected to Gannon shooting
BARNSTABLE — Thomas Latanowich pleaded no contest in a civil forfeiture case Monday morning in Barnstable Superior Court, giving up $29,338 that police found on him and in his house when he was arrested on charges related to the shooting death of Yarmouth police Sgt. Sean Gannon in 2018, according to prosecutors.
Cape and Islands Assistant District Attorney Michael Donovan said Monday that authorities found around $25,000 in a hole in the wall of Latanowich’s house at the time of his arrest. That money, along with $4,338 found on him when he surrendered, now belongs to the state following the results of Monday's bench trial.
Latanowich, 35, was convicted in 2021 of shooting and killing Gannon, 32, a Yarmouth Police Department K-9 officer, on April 12, 2018. Officers were executing an arrest warrant on Latanowich at 109 Blueberry Lane in Marstons Mills when he shot Gannon and his police dog, Nero, who survived. A jury in Barnstable Superior Court eventually found Latanowich guilty of second-degree murder, and a judge sentenced him to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 35 years.
What was the forfeiture motion about?
The forfeiture motion, filed in fall 2018, was resolved before Judge Michael Callan on Monday when Latanowich, representing himself, said he would no longer contest it, according to Donovan. The matter had reached a bench trial, meaning Callan would have delivered a verdict.
According to an affidavit included in court documents, Massachusetts State Police officers were granted a warrant to search 109 Blueberry Lane after Latanowich was taken into custody from the house. In their search, authorities recovered two backpacks, one of which contained a large quantity of either heroin or fentanyl, state police Sgt. Scott McCabe alleged in the affidavit.
In 2018: Prosecutors seek to seize money from police Sgt. Sean Gannon's accused killer
McCabe said authorities also found $25,020 in a freshly cut hole in the wall of a bedroom. Later, a review of texts between Latanowich and his ex-girlfriend showed that he had told her after the initial, fatal confrontation that “there’s thousand in the attic of the house I’m at” and “I killed a cop,” according to the affidavit.
Prosecutors cited Latanowich's intent to use the money for drug dealing in their motion to seize the $29,338. They planned to call state police Lt. Jeffrey Diotte as their lone witness, according to court documents.
What happens to the money?
According to court documents, the resolution means that half of the money forfeited, or $14,669, will be allocated to the Cape and Islands District Attorney's office, in an account used for investigative expenses. The other half of the money will be sent to a similar account belonging to the Massachusetts State Police unit assigned to the Cape and Islands District Attorney's office, in accordance with state law.
Latanowich has been held at a medium security state facility in Shirley, according to court documents. His appearance in court was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Monday, and he was escorted from the premises by corrections officers around 10:20 a.m. following the no-contest plea.
Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Latanowich, who killed Yarmouth police Sgt. Sean Gannon, releases $29K
