WRENTHAM, Mass. — A second Rhode Island man charged with assault and disorderly conduct in connection with the death of a fan at a New England Patriots game pleaded not guilty Friday.
In a brief court appearance, Justin Mitchell, 39, was arraigned in Wrentham District Court on allegations that he and John Vieira, 59, both of Warwick, Rhode Island, beat Dale Mooney, of 53 years old, from Newmarket, New Hampshire. Vieira pleaded not guilty last week.
Mitchell was ordered to stay away from Gillette Stadium, as well as Mooney’s family and any potential witnesses.
Investigators say Mooney was hit during an altercation in the Sept. 17 game, which ended in a 24-17 victory for the Miami Dolphins. Mooney was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner provided preliminary indications that did not suggest a traumatic injury but did identify a medical problem, according to the district attorney’s office. The cause and manner of death were undetermined at that time, pending further testing.
Final determinations delivered to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office ruled the manner of death a homicide. The cause of death has been ruled as “probable cardiac arrhythmia in a person with severe hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease during a physical altercation.”
Review of the available evidence, including autopsy results and multiple angles of video that captured the incident, failed to establish a basis for criminal prosecution of homicide-related charges in Mooney’s death, the U.S. attorney said. Norfolk District, Michael Morrissey.