The man who Ogunquit police say died after slipping on rocks and falling into the ocean last weekend was accused of helping his father commit suicide in September 2010.
The case involving Bruce Brodigan of Somerville, Mass., and his father, 82-year-old George Brodigan, a prominent attorney from West Hartford, Conn., was widely reported by media in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
In a news release issued this week, Ogunquit Police Chief Patricia Arnaudin identified the man who fell from the Marginal Way as Bruce Brodigan, who was 57. Arnaudin could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
According to the Hartford Courant, which covered the case, Brodigan was charged in January 2011 with helping his father commit suicide with an overdose of drugs and alcohol.
The Courant reported that Brodigan suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, and had a full bottle of rum and a copy of Derek Humphry’s “Final Exit” – a guide to ending one’s life – by his bedside.
Brodigan was charged with second-degree manslaughter because it is illegal in Connecticut to assist in a suicide.
The charges were dismissed in December by the prosecutor, said Brodigan’s attorney, Hubert Santos of Hartford.
Santos said Tuesday that his client was a teacher.
He said he has not spoken with his client’s family. He said Brodigan had a partner, who Ogunquit police said was with Brodigan during their visit to Maine last weekend.
A message left on Brodigan’s home answering machine was not returned.
Ogunquit police said Brodigan was walking along Marginal Way around 7:30 a.m. Saturday when he apparently slipped and fell into the ocean.
Arnaudin said the incident remains under investigation.
Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at: dhoey@pressherald.com
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