Nancy Kerrigan: Dad Was My Brothers' Ultimate Role Model
Skater breaks silence days after father's death ruled a homicide.
Feb. 11, 2010 — -- Speaking out for the first time since her father's Jan. 24 death, Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan said her dad was her "safety net" and that "the last several weeks have been the most difficult of my life."
Nancy's brother Mark Kerrigan, 45, is accused of strangling Daniel Kerrigan, 70, the night he died and has pleaded not guilty to assault and battery charges.
But today, Nancy Kerrigan painted a different picture of her brothers' relationship to their father, writing: "For my brothers, he was the ultimate role model: the guy they continue to try to emulate."
"Mark adored his father and is grieving over his death," Mark Kerrigan's attorney, Janice Bassil, told ABC News. "I am grateful to the family for wanting to support Mark."
Death Ruled a Homicide'
On Tuesday, Daniel Kerrigan's death was ruled a homicide by the state medical examiner, according to Middlesex, Mass., District Attorney Gerry Leone. Mark Kerrigan now could face more serious charges, according to legal experts.
In her letter today, Nancy Kerrigan maintained that her family was a united front, saying, "It isn't over yet, particularly with the ruling this week about the cause of my dad's death; a ruling by the way which we think was unjustified and which we plan to help my brother fight."
The examiner's report found that Daniel Kerrigan died from cardiac dysrhythmia, a heart rhythm problem, following a fight in which he suffered a neck compression that fractured cartilage in his larynx, Leone said. But Kerrigan also had preexisting hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular heart disease, according to the report.
"When someone has underlying heart disease, strangulation can cause a lack of oxygen and a surge of adrenaline, either of which can precipitate a fatal heart irregularity," cardiologist Dr. David Lee told ABC News.
Kerrigan was found face down and unresponsive after the alleged attack, and his son was "clearly intoxicated," police sources told ABC News. There was blood near Kerrigan's body and pictures were knocked off the wall, according to police reports.
Mark Kerrigan was living in his parents' basement and had a long history of drinking problems, law enforcement sources said.
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