‘I still feel like it’s not real;’ Best friend remembers Riverside homicide victim

RIVERSIDE — Autumn Abney was Scott Hannah’s best friend but now years of friendship are reduced to just memories.

Riverside Police Department said a homicide investigation was launched Sunday when 29-year-old Hannah was found with multiple stab wounds in his home.

“The moment they said it is a homicide investigation, everything in me just dropped. I felt sick to my stomach,” Abney said.

She remembers her friendship with Hannah.

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“He is one of the goofiest, silliest, and most loving guys... while I’m saying best friend I really mean family,” Abney said.

She also remembers how close he was to his family and how helped others through their difficulties.

“He was very empathetic and compassionate towards other people, and almost specifically like more so even when they were struggling, it’s like he was a magnet to them and just wanted to make them happy,” she said.

But now he’s not there to comfort the people who loved him.

“That’s truly the hardest thing. It’s almost my automatic response like ‘I have to go talk to him about what’s going on right now’... it’s extremely difficult,” Abney said.

She remembers pulling up to Hannah’s home on Sunday and seeing police on the scene.

Abney remembers asking the police over and over if they are sure Hannah is dead.

Hannah will be laid to rest on Friday, December 2 according to his obituary.

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Police named Cornelius Brogan, 28, as a person of interest as he was the last person to have contact with Hannah.

Abney said Brogan and Hannah had a past that involved both periods of dating and friendship.

“They had a relationship, but they weren’t close for quite a while,” she said.

She is still trying to come to terms with the loss of her friends.

“I still feel like it’s not real and it’s not happening ... my chest hurts and there’s this hole missing and you can’t breathe for a second,” Abney said.

Brogan is currently in a Kentucky jail for assault on a police officer.

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