Nancy Kerrigan's Father Daniel Kerrigan Found Dead, Brother Arrested

Mark Kerrigan, brother of figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, has been charged with assaulting their 70-year-old father, Daniel Kerrigan, who was found dead this past weekend at the family’s home in Massachusetts.

Mark Kerrigan, 45, faces arraignment today (Monday) on a charge of assault and battery on a person over 60 that resulted in injuries.

The Middlesex D.A.’s office says authorities responded to the home of Daniel and Brenda Kerrigan at about 1:30 a.m. on Sunday due to reports of an unresponsive man. That man then whisked to the hospital and was later pronounced dead.

Brenda told the Boston Herald, “”My husband had a massive heart attack,” adding “This is a very difficult time for me.”

According to the police report, Mark and Daniel were yelling and pushing at each other until Daniel suddenly fell to the ground.

Nancy’s mother told police that the two were fighting over the use of the telephone. When Daniel wouldn’t allow Mark to use the phone, Mark grabbed him by the throat. Daniel apparently starting choking, but Mark thought his father was “faking it.”

Police found Daniel in the basement and there was blood on the kitchen floor. Mark, who appeared intoxicated, had to be restrained with pepper spray.

Nancy Kerrigan, a two-time Olympic medalist, lives in nearby Lynville, Mass. She was the subject of a brutal attack back in 1994 that was coordinated by a rival skater, Tonya Harding, whose ex-husband, Jeff Gilooly, had paid a professional hit man to assault Kerrigan during a practice session at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Kerrigan eventually recovered from her injuries and took the silver medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics. Hardin,g however, got a lifetime ban from the U.S. Figure Skating Association for participating in the assault.