Wrestler, 83, Accused of Deadly Slam
I read this article this morning on the subway and as unfortunate as it is - you must admit it’s slightly funny. Just picture an 83 year old man body slamming a 97 year old man… Hilarious. Does this make me a bad person? Probably. Yes. _____________________________________________________ AM New York March 6, 2009 Bloomington, Minn., police are investigating the case of an Alzheimer’s disease-stricken former pro wrestler accused of fatally body-slamming a fellow nursing home patient. Verne Gagne, 83, could be charged as soon as this week in what authorities have ruled a homicide. Gagne, who has worked with wrestlers such as Killer Kowalski and Mad Dog Vachon, could not remember the incident after it happened, police said. Victim Helmut Gutmann, 97, a former cancer researcher, died Feb. 14 - three weeks after breaking his hip in the controntation. Police said there was no clear indication of what set Gagne off. “It’s been so hard on both families,” said Greg Gagne, Gagne’s son. Gutmann’s widow also doesn’t want to see Gagne prosecuted. He has since been moved to another institution.
