Daniel Kerrigan's death ruled a homicide

BOSTON, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The Massachusetts medical examiner's office Tuesday ruled the death of Daniel Kerrigan, the father of ex-Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, a homicide.

The 70-year-old Kerrigan died of a heart rhythm disorder Jan. 24 after fighting with his 45-year-old son Mark over use of a phone, Middlesex County District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. said in a statement based on the medical examiner's findings. The elder Kerrigan suffered a fractured larynx in the scuffle but had underlying hypertension and heart disease, the medical examiner found.

County prosecutors were still investigating and had not decided whether they would charge the son in his father's death, The New York Times reported. Mark Kerrigan, who had been living with his parents after serving time in prison for assault, was charged with assault after the fight and has pleaded not guilty.

The medical examiner's findings were "premature and inaccurate," the Kerrigan family said in a statement issued through its attorney, Tracy Miner.

"The Kerrigan family is extremely disappointed that the medical examiner would release a cause of death without having all of the relevant facts," the Times quoted Miner as saying in the statement. "The Kerrigan family does not blame anyone for the unfortunate death of Dan Kerrigan, who had a pre-existing heart condition."