Hit country music songwriter arrested after roommate found dead
Last Updated: Monday, April 28, 2008 | 4:29 PM ET
CBC News
Nashville police have arrested and charged country music songwriter Richard William Fagan in the stabbing death of his roommate.
Police announced on Monday that the 61-year-old songwriter has been charged with criminal homicide in the killing of Gaetano Thomas Oteri, who was also Fagan's manager and music publisher.
The 69-year-old victim, who died Saturday night, was the father of actress and former Saturday Night Live cast member Cheri Oteri.
According to police, Fagan was arrested late Saturday night and charged with driving under the influence, for which he posted bail on Sunday.
However, in the meantime, a mutual friend of both men reported to authorities that Oteri was not answering his door and that the south Nashville residence appeared to be in disarray. The individual said the two roommates had a fight earlier.
Emergency medical technicians later found Oteri's body in the house. Fagan was with a bail bondsman when detectives tracked him down.
Fagan's credits include co-writing songs by country star John Michael Montgomery, including the chart-toppers Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident), Be My Baby Tonight and I Miss You a Little.
Canadian country singer Shania Twain’s version of Fagan’s Crime of the Century was featured on the soundtrack of the Nicolas Cage thriller Red Rock West in 1993.
With files from the Associated PressShare Tools
- Glee's 'unintentional' tribute to Whitney Houstonby Arts Online Feb. 15, 2012 5:40 PM When Glee included a rendition of I Will Always Love You, sung by Amber Riley (Mercedes), in its Valentine's Day episode, it was pure serendipity. The performance had been planned as one of several songs celebrating love and, after Whitney Houston's untimely death Saturday, the network added a line of tribute to the woman who made the song famous.
Top News Headlines
- Tories move to curb 'bogus' refugees
- The Conservative government is poised to change the refugee system yet again in an attempt to deter what it considers "bogus" claimants, CBC News has learned. more »
- Children of immigrants challenged at school, home
- By 2016, foreign-born youth and Canadian-born youth from immigrant families will make up a quarter of the country's population, according to predictions by the Canadian Council on Social Development. As their numbers grow, more attention is being paid to their successes and failures. more »
- 2 NDP MPs back final Commons vote to kill gun registry
- Two NDP MPs broke party ranks to vote with the government in the final House of Commons vote on scrapping the long-gun registry. more »
- B.C. house party trial hears from tearful teens
- Two teenagers cried as they testified at the trial of a B.C. woman who was charged after a teen died while her son was hosting a party at her house in 2008. more »
Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines
- Hudson Bay Co. archives includes film treasure trove
- A Hudson's Bay Co. collection of films from the early 20th century showing fur-trading life in the North has been transferred back to Winnipeg and is to be screened at the Archives of Manitoba. more »
- Missing Karel Appel works found in British warehouse
- More than 400 works by Dutch artist Karel Appel have been discovered in a British storage warehouse a decade after they went missing. more »
- Montreal museum offers reward after artifact theft
- Quebec police are seeking the recovery of two ancient artifacts stolen from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts last fall, with a substantial reward offered. more »
- The Artist, Hugo spotlight film preservation
- While The Artist and Hugo are showered with attention ahead of the upcoming Academy Awards, cinema experts say the movies are also shining a much-needed spotlight on the issue of film preservation. more »
Q Blog
The great monogamy debate Feb. 15, 2012 1:41 PM Is it time to start taking alternatives to monogamy seriously in our culture? Listen in to the Q debate and let us know what you think.
CBC Books
- Choosing a Valentine's Day gift for the book lover in your life Feb. 15, 2012 2:45 PM CBC Books' Erin Balser and her partner, Matt Elliott, on the challenge of giving your sweetheart a book for Valentine's Day.
- Drummond report on Ontario calls for cutbacks
- Barefoot girl's icy trek not blamed on babysitter
- 2 NDP MPs back final Commons vote to kill gun registry
- Immigrants the proudest Canadians, poll suggests
- Honduras prison fire kills hundreds
- Bodyguard hired for bully victim in Fredericton
- Canadian housing market cools in January
- Legalize pot, say former B.C. attorneys general
- Russians' abusive plane tirade to cost them $19K
