Friend Says James DiMaggio Left Life Insurance Money to Hannah Anderson's Grandmother
James DiMaggio wanted money to benefit Hannah Anderson, friend says.
Aug. 20, 2013— -- James DiMaggio, the man who became the focus of a multi-state manhunt after he was suspected of kidnapping 16-year-old Hannah Anderson and killing her mother and 8-year-old brother, was such a close friend of the family that he named Anderson's grandmother as a beneficiary on his life insurance policy, according to a friend.
Andrew Spanswick, a spokesman for DiMaggio's family, said the 40-year-old telecommunications technician left $112,000 to Bernice Anderson, ABC's San Diego affiliate KGTV reported.
While Spanswick said he didn't know why DiMaggio chose Anderson's grandmother, he said he believed his friend wanted the money to benefit the teenager.
Acting on a tip from a group of horseback riders, FBI agents located a remote camp in the Idaho wildnerness where they said DiMaggio had been holding Hannah Anderson against her will.
When agents swarmed the camp on Aug. 10, DiMaggio fired on them, prompting the agents to shoot and kill him, said San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore.
DiMaggio is suspected of killing Anderson's mother and brother, setting their house on fire and abducting Anderson on Aug. 4.
It wasn't until after Anderson was rescued and interviewed that an FBI forensics specialist broke the news to Anderson that her mother and brother had been killed, Gore said.
Kidnapped Teen Breaks Her Silence Online
After her rescue, Anderson fielded questions on the social media site ask.fm but later disabled her account. A source briefed on Anderson's case confirmed to ABC News that the posts made on the site were from Anderson but could not confirm any of the information she had shared.
Authorities have said DiMaggio may have had an infatuation with Anderson, and she wrote that she had been uncomfortable around him in the past but had not said anything because he was a family friend.
"He said it was more like a family crush, like he had feelings as in he wanted nothing bad to happen to me," she wrote.
Last Thursday, Anderson stepped out for the first time since her rescue to attend a fundraiser to benefit her recovery and to pay for the funerals of her mother and brother.
She made no statement as she walked into the fundraiser, which was held at the Boll Weevil restaurant in Lakeside, Calif., and was closed to the media.
"Hannah sends her love," her father, Brett Anderson, told reporters. "She's doing good day by day. And we'll just keep moving forward from here.
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