MINNEAPOLIS — The brother of former NHL strongman Derek Boogaard was charged Friday with providing the prescription drug that contributed to Boogaard's overdose death in May.
A complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court says 24-year-old Aaron Boogaard gave his brother an Oxycodone pill the day of his death. Derek Boogaard, 28, was found dead in his apartment May 13 of what authorities later ruled was a toxic mix of alcohol and Oxycodone.
The younger Boogaard was charged with unlawful sale of a controlled substance, a felony. A second count, interference with the scene of a death, accuses Aaron Boogaard of misleading the coroner or concealing evidence.
An attorney for Boogaard didn't immediately return a call for comment.
Derek Boogaard, who became a fan favorite for the Minnesota Wild before joining the New York Rangers, had struggled with addiction, his family said after his death.
The criminal complaint says Aaron Boogaard told police he gave his brother a single Oxycodone pill before going out to several clubs May 12. Aaron Boogaard said he had been holding Oxycontin and Percocet pills for his brother.
Aaron Boogaard said his brother had just been released from chemical dependency treatment the day before and that he knew when he gave him the pill he was not in pain, according to the complaint.
"The Defendant said that it appeared D.L.B. was celebrating and intended to go on a `binger,'" the complaint said.