Cardiologist Testifies Neck Injury Caused Kerrigan's Heart Attack
WOBURN (CBS) - Prosecutors are trying to prove that a fight, not a heart condition killed Nancy Kerrigan's father and that her brother is to blame.
Tuesday, they called Stoneham-based Dr. Khether Raby, Daniel Kerrigan's cardiologist until 2009, to the stand. He testified that the 70-year-old had a serious heart condition including three clogged arteries.
WBZ-TV's Diana Perez reports.
Brenda broke down, barely able to contain her tears while Nancy kept her arms around her mother. It was perhaps an indication even she didn't know how sick her husband was in the years before he died.
But, prosecutors had a clear reason to call Dr. Raby to the stand. They asked if the doctor thought, after reviewing the autopsy, the fight Daniel had with his son, where Mark allegedly put his hands around his neck and possibly fractured his larynx, led to the heart attack that killed him.
Dr. Raby said yes.
"He had some event that made his heart beat and blood pressure go up and that overwhelmed the clogged arteries he's had for years and that caused the heart attack," said Dr. Raby.
The doctor also testified that he treated the elder Kerrigan's sick heart with medicine instead of operating. The defense spent more than an hour questioning the doctor on his treatment decision, but he said the Daniel wanted it that way and it was working.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe reports.
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Also on the stand were three Stoneham police officers, who were the first to respond to the Kerrigan family home the day Daniel died in January 2010. They told jurors Mark had to be pepper-sprayed because he was drunk, violent and uncooperative.
Mark paid close attention to the witnesses, sneaking peeks at the jury throughout the day. Nancy Kerrigan, once again, didn't say anything when she arrived to or left the courthouse. Inside, she kept her arm around her mother during much of the testimony.
The prosecutor told the judge she would rest her case Wednesday, the defense team said they hoped to do the same on Friday.
