Kerrigan's Mom: Son Begged Dad To Get Up After Struggle
WOBURN (CBS) - Skater Nancy Kerrigan watched her mother on the stand Thursday as Brenda Kerrigan described the fight between her son and her husband just before the older man died. Mark Kerrigan is accused of causing his father's death.
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Brenda was brought back to the night her husband died her second day on the stand. She told jurors Mark was kneeing over Daniel after the 70-year-old collapsed in the family's kitchen.
WBZ-TV's Diana Perez reports.
"He was telling Danny to get up, get up, get up. Dad, I love you, you got to get up."
Brenda admitted to the defense that she told police Mark was drunk that January 2010 night but said she never saw him grab his father by the neck.
Her demeanor changed during cross examination from the prosecution. She reluctantly accepted her son and husband were in a physical struggle.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Mark Katic reports.
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She hardened her tone when asked if she told the ambulance driver she should've called 911 earlier: "I said, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, what could I have done sooner, something, I don't know, something, whatever."
Nancy Kerrigan kept a close eye on the prosecutor during her mother's testimony.
The state is trying to prove that Mark caused Daniel's heart attack by fracturing his larynx during that fight. But, the defense called a forensic pathologist who says the attack could've started well before his encounter with Mark.
"Mr. Kerrigan could've collapsed just from being emotional and the kind of response to the emotion of being involved in an argument without any actual physical contact," testified Elizabeth Laposata, forensic pathologist at Boston University.
The defense is expected to call its last witness Friday, closing arguments will be heard on Monday.
