Wrestling legend Verne Gagne suspected in nursing home roommate's death

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.

Born in Germany in 1911, he fled Nazi Germany under threat from the Hitler regime, serving as a captain in the U.S. Army’s Chemical Warfare Service in World War II. For 40 years, he worked as a cancer research scientist based at the Minneapolis V.A. Hospital, publishing many papers. He retired in 1992, when he was already in his 80s. Gutmann was also a classical musician, playing violin for 12 years with the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra.