A Roosevelt man and his sister were indicted Monday, Oct. 28 on charges related to the abuse and death of their elderly mother.
Michael Rainford McDougall, 65, faces manslaughter and other charges after allegedly putting his 85-year-old mother, Carmel McDougall, in a headlock, swinging her, and causing her to fall and sustain fatal head injuries.
His sister, Nichole McDougall Mullings, 55, is also charged with endangering her mother’s welfare through separate abusive acts in the weeks leading up to the incident.
Michael McDougall was arraigned before Judge Christopher Quinn on charges of Manslaughter, Endangering the Welfare of a Vulnerable Elderly Person, or an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person, Criminally Negligent Homicide.
He pleaded not guilty, and his bail was set at $250,000 cash, $500,000 bond, and $1 million partially secured bond.
Mullings was arraigned on two counts of Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person.
She pleaded not guilty and was released to pre-trial services. Both defendants are scheduled to return to court on Nov. 22
"Frustrated with their 85-year-old mother’s declining health, Michael McDougall and his sister, Nichole McDougall Mullings, allegedly took their anger out on her with physical violence and threats," said District Attorney Anne Donnelly. "According to the charges, Michael McDougall, his mother’s primary caregiver, pulled her into a headlock and swung her around, causing her to strike her head on the floor.
“She died several days later from organ failure caused by the catastrophic brain injury she suffered in the fall. Just two weeks before her death, Nichole Mullings allegedly twice constricted her mother’s ability to move and breathe, all caught on internal video footage from the home. As parents age, they rely on family, often their grown children, for support and care. Carmel McDougall’s son and daughter failed her when she needed them most."
DA Donnelly noted that Michael McDougall was his mother’s primary caregiver as she suffered from dementia.
The charges stem from an incident on Sept. 12, when Nassau County Police responded to a wellness check at a Hudson Avenue residence in Roosevelt.
They found Carmel McDougall unresponsive, and further investigation led police to obtain NEST camera footage allegedly showing Michael McDougall placing his mother in a headlock, swinging her around, and subsequently threatening her to get up while she lay moaning on the floor.
Carmel McDougall was hospitalized with a severe brain bleed and placed on life support. She was pronounced dead on Sept. 18. In addition to Michael McDougall’s alleged actions, his sister Nichole McDougall Mullings is accused of twice compromising her mother’s mobility and breathing on Aug. 30.
Allegedly caught on camera, Mullings reportedly restrained her mother and applied pressure to her arms, wrists, and neck, also slapping her in the face. In another alleged incident on the same day, Mullings allegedly struck her mother, shoved her into bed, placed her body on her mother’s 92-pound frame, and issued threats, impeding the elderly woman’s movement and breathing.
The defendants were arrested on Oct. 2 by Nassau County Police Department’s Homicide Squad.
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Bureau Chief Veronica Guariglia of the Homicide Bureau, supervised by Bureau Chief Jared Rosenblatt and Executive Assistant District Attorney for the Litigation Division Kevin Higgins. Michael McDougall’s defense attorney is David Haber and Nichole Mullings is represented by Adrienne Edward.
The charges against both defendants remain accusations, and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If convicted, Michael McDougall faces up to 19 years in prison.