Posted on 01/25/2010 7:26:47 AM PST by raccoonradio
The brother of former Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan is being charged with assaulting their 70-year-old father in Stoneham following a fight over a telephone where police say the younger man thought his dad was “faking it” when he fell to the ground.
The father, Daniel Kerrigan, died from a massive heart attack, his wife tells the Herald.
Mark Kerrigan, 45, now faces one count of assault and battery on a person over 60, according to Woburn District Court Clerk John Teeven.
The criminal complaint lists Daniel Kerrigan of Stoneham as the assault victim, Teeven added. Mark Kerrigan is expected to be arraigned today in the Woburn court.
Nancy Kerrigan’s mother, Brenda Kerrigan , told the Herald this morning her husband died of a massive heart attack.
“My husband had a massive heart attack,” Brenda Kerrigan said. “This is a very difficult time for me.”
A five-page police report of the alleged assault at the Kerrigan Cedar Avenue home in Stoneham states both father and son were yelling and pushing “back and forth” until the elder Kerrigan fell over.
The police report states Brenda Kerrigan told police the two were battling until her husband fell. Police also report Mark Kerrigan put his “hands around his father’s neck” and he said he thought his dad was “faking it” when he fell to the floor.
Mark Kerrigan had to be subdued with pepper spray, the police report states. He also appeared intoxicated, the report adds.
Police also report spotting blood on the kitchen floor and the elder Kerrigan was found on the floor in the basement. It is not clear why the two men were arguing over the use of the telephone.
Middlesex County District Attorney Gerry Leone and Stoneham Police Chief Richard Bongiorno said yesterday they were probing the death of a man who was found unresponsive at a Cedar Avenue home in Stoneham. The man, who was found unresponsive at 1:30 a.m. yesterday, was taken to Winchester Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Leone said in a statement.
Kerrigan said earlier today there is nothing suspicious about her husband’s death.
“My God. He had a heart attack,” she said. “That’s what it was.”
She declined further comment.
PTSD from being posted to Egypt??? Geeze...during my anything-but-courageous time in I spent time at Ft Knox,Ft Dix,etc.Maybe that's why I've been having all these flashbacks of Army chow,olive drab....
Family members said the death of Daniel Kerrigan, who rushed to the sobbing Nancy and carried her into a locker room after the 1994 attack on her, was unrelated to the argument with his son early Sunday. Daniel Kerrigan's wife, Brenda Kerrigan, told the Boston Herald newspaper her husband died of a heart attack and there was nothing suspicious about the death.
Mark Kerrigan, who has a history of domestic violence arrests and was sued by his parents to recover money they spent for taking care of his home while he was in jail, was being held on $10,000 bail. He was released from jail in 2007, according to his lawyer, but it wasn't immediately clear why he was serving time or for how long he served.
From the article: "Mark Kerrigan - a troubled ex-con living in his parents' basement - told cops he was angry with his father because he wouldn't let him use the phone."
Hmm. It looks like the article has been updated from the original so perhaps they amended it to include that info..? Either way, my apologies if I missed it the first time around.
Sounds like a real charmer of a guy, doesn't he? ;-)
Prayers up for the family.
I made my initial assumption based on the report that they were arguing over the use of the telephone. But you are quite right. That information was added later.
The greatest scene ever committed to celluloid...
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