Nancy Kerrigan, sister of Mark Kerrigan
Mark Kerrigan has been given the maximum prison sentence after he was found guilty of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on an elderly person and causing serious bodily harm.
Mark was arrested after his 70-year-old dad Daniel was found unconscious at the families Massachusetts home in 2010 after suffering from cardiac dysrhythmia that was caused by a neck injury which was obtained during the physical fight between him and Mark.
A Superior Court Jury acquitted Mark of manslaughter on Wednesday, but found him guilty of the lesser offences.
He returned to court yesterday faced with up to two-and-a-half years in prison for his convictions.
His sister former sportswoman Nancy Kerrigan begged the judge to show her brother leniency. She said, “None of us has had a chance to grieve for my father. Please send him home with us today so we can grieve as a family.”
Mark also begged for clemency, saying, “I lost my father, and I miss him very much. I’d like the opportunity to go home with my family.”
The pleas were rejected and Mark was given the maximum two-and-a-half year sentence, although six months of the term will be suspended. He will be eligible for parole in six months.