Two men charged over death of Patriots fan after stadium brawl

Dale Mooney, 53, died at Gillette Stadium where the Patriots were playing the Miami Dolphins

Two men have been charged in connection to a fight during a New England Patriots game that resulted in the death of a man.

John Vieira, 59 and Justin Mitchell, 39, from Warwick, Rhode Island, have both been charged with assault, battery and disorderly conduct, the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office said.

The two men got into a brawl with Dale Mooney, 53, at the Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, where the Patriots were playing the Miami Dolphins on 17 September, authorities said.

During the fight, Mooney collapsed and at the time, the Officer of the Chief Medical Examiner said it did not appear to be because of traumatic injury, rather that he had a medical issue.

A witness told NBC News in September that Mooney looked in distress during the fight, then was punched by a Dolphins fan and fell back unconscious.

In interviews with several local media outlets, Joey Kilmartin, another witness, told several local news outlets that he saw Mooney, a Patriots fan confront a Dolphins fan who he had been arguing with throughout the game.

“He basically engaged in mutual combat with another fan,” Mr Kilmartin told The Boston Globe, adding that bystanders tried to separate the two men.

"Then a man in the Dolphins jersey reached over and he connected with two punches to the victim’s head. It wasn’t something crazy or out of the ordinary until, 30 seconds later, the guy wasn’t getting up.”

Mooney was pronounced dead at the hospital.

A medical examiner later determined the cause as a probable cardiac dysrhythmia due to the stress of the fight, the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said.

It is thought he had a pre-existing “severe hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.”

The death was ultimately ruled as a homicide after the autopsy results, and multiple videos capturing the fight from different angles were assessed.

This meant the men would be charged, but the evidence did not establish a big enough basis for them to be charged with homicide, the DA’s office said.

Mr Viera is due to appear in court on 19 January, and Mr Mitchell is due in court on 29 January.

Gillette Stadium officials said at the time of Mooney’s death they were “heartbroken” by his passing, who they’d described as a lifelong Patriots fan who held a season ticket for 30 years.

“We extend our sincerest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to Dale’s family and to all those who are mourning his loss,” they wrote in a statement.