HOF inductee Verne Gagne kills man in nursing home.

[Felya]

BLOOMINGTON - An 82-year-old Minnesotan wrestling legend is under investigation after the death of his 97-year-old roommate.

Police believe that Verne Gagne may have contributed to the January death of Helmut R. Gutmann, who lived with him in the Bloomington living facility, Friendship Village. Gagne and 97-year-old Gutmann, who both suffer from Alzheimer's-related dementia, allegedly got into a fight on Jan. 26 that led to Gutmann's death.

Gutmann suffered a broken leg and a head injury in the fight. He was hospitalized, then released, but then was re-hospitalized due to complications. Four days ago, Gutmann died.

Bloomington Police are investigating the death as suspicious, after being contacted by an elderly rights group.

A manner of death has not officially been determined.

It's unknown if Gagne would ever be charged because of his mental state. He has been dismissed from the living facility.

Gutmann was a former cancer research scientist at the University of Minnesota, who escaped Nazi Germany.

Verne Gagne's history

Verne Gagne first entered the world of wrestling in 1949. Before long, he became the perennial champion and owner/promoter of the American Wrestling Association. He was a host of the weekly TV show, All-Star Wrestling, the highest-rated show on local prime-time television for nearly 40 years.

Over the years, Gagne influenced the careers of Vachon, the Crusher, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, and Jesse Ventura.

He was inducted into the World Pro Wrestling Hall of Hame in 1999. Gagne's signature wrestling move was a sleeper hold.



http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/n...ct_feb_18_2009

[J-WaQ]

dam idk much about the guy but i remember his name
did he take his meds ?
how a 82 year old kill someone ?

[JUSA]

Originally Posted by J-WaQ

dam idk much about the guy but i remember his name
did he take his meds ?
how a 82 year old kill someone ?

Well, he just beat the other guy up real bad and he eventually died of complications. It's probably not too hard to do that to a 97-year old man.

I didn't know Verne's mind was lost like that, though. Sad.

[ChristmasFnatic]

I hear voices in my head, they council me, they understand... they talk to me...

[NaggerGuy]

Verne was a fairly tough guy in his own right. Whoopin' an old man wouldn't be a chore. Probably thought the guy was Lou Thesz.

[alicairo]

I don't want to speak bad or falsely about the dead but people are saying Verne felt or seemed threatened by the man, however, that is very easy and happens when someone has alzheimer's.

It's really too bad, and sad because of the death and because this will taint the image of Verne Gagne, a guy who a lot of people say was very professional.

[hotdogsfordaddy]

Hell yeah when I'm Pro I'm killing a bunch of dudes

[animal2b]

I think it's awesome. The roomie was like, "Hey Gagne, wrestling is fake!!"

And Gagne was like, "I'll show you!!"

Then Joey Styles came in and was like, "OLD MAN FIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT! OLD MAN FIIIIIIIIIGHT!"

[i_against_i]

I'm sorry, I know it's wrong, but I LOL'ed at the mental image of a vicious old man fight.

[...Kennedy]

The facility will be lucky not to get sued by the victim's family if they get wind of his reputation.

From wiki: "Allegedly, Gagne offered The Iron Sheik $100,000 to break Hogan's leg during their World Title Match, with the intention that he return to the AWA with the belt."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verne_Gagne

[i_against_i]

Originally Posted by ...Kennedy

The facility will be lucky not to get sued by the victim's family if they get wind of his reputation.

From wiki: "Allegedly, Gagne offered The Iron Sheik $100,000 to break Hogan's leg during their World Title Match, with the intention that he return to the AWA with the belt."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verne_Gagne

No one's leg is safe from an angered Verne Gagne, whether it be Hulk Hogan or a 100 year old man.

[Desert_Eagle]

Originally Posted by ...Kennedy

The facility will be lucky not to get sued by the victim's family if they get wind of his reputation.

From wiki: "Allegedly, Gagne offered The Iron Sheik $100,000 to break Hogan's leg during their World Title Match, with the intention that he return to the AWA with the belt."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verne_Gagne

Did the sheik accept though? I hope not.

[-Renato-]

Originally Posted by NaggerGuy

Verne was a fairly tough guy in his own right. Whoopin' an old man wouldn't be a chore. Probably thought the guy was Lou Thesz.

LMFAO i laughed pretty hard when I read that haha.