Nancy Kerrigan's Brother Arrested in Probe of Father's Death

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Nancy Kerrigan's Brother Arrested in Probe of Father's Death
Monday, January 25, 2010
FOX News

Former Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan's brother was arrested and charged with assault in connection with the death of their father, who was found unresponsive inside the family's home on Sunday.

Emergency crews were sent to Kerrigan's childhood home in Stoneham, Mass., at approximately 1:45 a.m. Sunday after receiving reports of an unresponsive man at the scene, MyFoxBoston.com reported.

Police later identified the man as Kerrigan's 70-year-old father, Daniel. The death was labeled suspicious, the TV station reported.

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Stoneham Police Chief Richard Bongiorno told the station that Kerrigan's 45-year-old brother, Mark, was arrested and remains in police custody.

Mark Kerrigan was charged with "assault and battery on an elder person resulting in serious bodily injury," according to a police press release.

A 5-page police report, obtained by the Boston Herald, asserts that the two men were arguing over use of the telephone when the younger Kerrigan allegedly put his “hands around his father’s neck."

Kerrigan's son reportedly told police that he thought his father was “faking it” when he fell to the floor, according to the newspaper.

The report says that Mark Kerrigan appeared intoxicated when police arrived on the scene and that he had to be subdued with pepper spray. Police also said they found blood on the kitchen floor, the newspaper reported.

Kerrigan will be arraigned on the charges at the Woburn District Court on Monday.

Stoneham police and Massachusetts state police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office are conducting an investigation into the circumstances of Daniel Kerrigan's death.

Kerrigan's mother, Brenda, refuted claims that her husband's death was suspicious, telling the Boston Herald that he died of a "massive heart attack."

“My God. He had a heart attack,” she told the newspaper. “That’s what it was.”