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Wrestling legend Verne Gagne, who promoted the American Wrestling Association, holding that promotion's championship numerous times and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006, was named a suspect in the death of 97-year old Helmut R. Gutman, his roommate in an Minnesota assisted living facility.
Gagne, 82, and Gutmann, who both suffer from Alzheimer's Disease-related dementia, got into a fight on 1/26. Gutmann suffered a head injury and a broken leg, leading to several hospitalizations and his death four days ago.
Bloomington, Minnesota police are currently investigating the death but it's unknown if Gagne would even be charged due to his age and mental state. The Minnesota Post quoted a woman who identified herself as Gagne's daughter commenting that Gagne, "has only one minute of memory retention. And even though nobody is saying that this is the reason that this man died, you're going to publish this? Unbelievable. You take a man who has given nothing but his time and his energy to this state, he loses his mind, and you're going to do this?"
According to the Post story, Gagne had been involved in numerous physical incidents and outbursts with other patients at the Friendship Village home, including a previous incident in which he had choked Gutmann. The article stated that Gagne lifted and threw down Gutmann, causing head and leg injuries. Guttman was hospitalized and released, then sent back due to complications before being sent to a hospice, where he passed away. Gagne had been previously asked to leave the facility but was allowed to return. He is no longer living there.
Guttman's widow Betty told The Post, "You can't blame the person that did it. [Gagne] doesn't know what he's doing. I feel so sorry for his family, because they are faced with a terrible problem of what to do."
Gagne's mental state had been in decline in recent years, leading to last minute cancellations of several convention appearances. I believe his last public appearance was a 2007 convention in the Minnesota area.
Gagne was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame shortly after the company purchased the video library of the AWA, later releasing a DVD documentary on the run of the promotion.
Due to his local celebrity, The Gagne investigation has been picked up by numerous local news outlets in the Minnesota area:
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