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Ex-medical examiner indicted |
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Written by DeadGirl
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Wednesday, 23 February 2005 |
By Emily Zimmerman
BRENTWOOD - Former state medical examiner Gene Nigro was indicted last week on 22 counts, several stemming from an incident in which he allegedly injected a 21-year-old man with a debilitating narcotic drug and tried to sexually assault him. Unrelated charges allege Nigro continued work as a medical examiner after he was suspended from duty.
Nigro, 46, with a last known address of 31 Prescott Road in Raymond, was suspended from his position as a medical examiner in June on suspicion of illegal behavior.
On Nov. 3, a Rockingham County grand jury indicted him on 16 counts of possession of a controlled drug, four counts of transportation of a controlled drug with intent to dispense and two counts of fraudulent handling of recordable writing.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt but a jury’s determination that enough evidence exists to bring the case to trial.
Nigro also faces a charge of attempted aggravated felonious sexual assault in connection with the June 2 incident involving the 21-year-old Raymond man.
The latest twist in the case involves charges of fraudulent handling of recordable writing, which refers to two certificates Nigro signed July 11 after examining two bodies prepared for cremation at Brewitt Funeral Home in Epping.
One indictment states that while "acting with a purpose to deceive representatives of Brewitt Funeral Home and to collect payment for rendering services of a duly appointed medical examiner, Gene Nigro falsified a certificate by medical examiner for cremation ... when at the time Nigro knew that any authority he previously had as assistant deputy medical examiner had been suspended by (the) Chief Medical Examiner on or about June 3, 2004."
According to court documents, Nigro examined the bodies of Lyman E. Codding, 69, of Nottingham, who died July 10 after a brief illness, and Alfred G. Hurteau, 73, of Epping, who also died July 10 after a sudden illness. John Brewitt, a director at Brewitt Funeral Home, said the funeral home did not know Nigro was no longer a medical examiner.
"There was a lot of investigation by the state police, and they came in here," Brewitt said. "He did a couple forms for cremations for us, and that was it. We didn’t hear about (the charges against Nigro) until it hit the papers. We had always, for a while, dealt with Gene."
Deputy Rockingham County Attorney Tom Reid said the investigation into Nigro’s illegal activity continues. Reid said that when Nigro was suspended, he was removed from the medical examiners’ rotation.
"While we were looking at allegations, we found out that he had a couple of accusations of representing himself as an ADME (assistant deputy medical examiner) and signed off on certificates of cremation, and was paid according to statute by the crematorium or funeral home," Reid said. "At this point, we only charged two."
He added that the public trust placed in medical examiner’s office needs to be maintained.
"Any information we collect, we are providing to the attorney general’s office so they can remedy things administratively and make sure these types of abuses don’t take place in the future," he said. "A majority of people working through the medical examiner’s office are trustworthy. Steps are being taken to tighten things up a little bit."
Brewitt said the funeral home was given a new set of numbers and medical examiners to contact. He added that last week, a new set of rules and regulations took effect, requiring examiners to take hair samples, pictures and possibly fingerprints during examinations.
Katherine Wieder, a forensic investigator and assistant deputy medical examiner, was suspended Oct. 4, three months after Nigro. Kristin Spath, the attorney general’s office chief of staff, said she could not comment on Wieder’s suspension because it is an internal personnel matter. Wieder has worked for the attorney general’s office since 1989.
Spath would also not comment on whether Wieder’s suspension is in any way connected to Nigro’s case.
Nigro was arrested July 8 on charges that he injected a Raymond man in the stomach with a syringe filled with Demerol, a narcotic painkiller. Nigro also allegedly gave the victim some pills containing the narcotic Klonopin and a type of OxyContin.
According to court documents, Nigro allegedly tried to engage in sexual penetration with the man.
State Police Sgt. Richard Mitchell said additional victims have come forward.
Last week, Nigro was indicted on four counts of transportation of a controlled drug with intent to dispense. Officials believe the drugs were taken from medical examiner cases as well as from the deceased. The drugs were prescribed to more than 10 people.
The drugs include seizure medication Clonazepam, which can cause drowsiness; Oxycodone, a osteoarthritis medication that can cause sleepiness, hallucinations and dizziness; Tramadol, a severe-pain medication for surgery or cancer patients that can cause drowsiness, blurred vision and headaches; and Demerol, which can cause dizziness, seizures, weakness, loss of consciousness, coma and confusion.
When Nigro was arrested, authorities found blood samples in his home refrigerator and prescription drugs throughout the home believed taken during medical examiner cases.
"I would not be surprised if more indictments were to come forward," Mitchell said. "The county attorney is waiting for additional reports from the state police regarding a different avenue that this investigation has taken. The initial report over the summer opened a whole other area we had no knowledge of, and it’s very time consuming."
Mitchell said he would not elaborate on the direction of the investigation.
"The investigation is still open," Reid said. "Anyone out there who interacted with Nigro in this capacity that has information that might be helpful in the investigation, we encourage them to contact the state police. We will bring charges that merit prosecution if there is enough evidence."
http://www.seacoastonline.com/2004news/exeter/11122004/news/48057.htm |
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