Charges dropped for Warwick men arrested in Gillette Stadium fight
Apr 14, 2025
WARWICK, R.I. (WLNE) — The charges against the two Warwick men arrested in connection to the death of a Patriots fan at Gillette Stadium in 2023 have been dropped.
On Dec. 21, 2023, Foxborough police charged John Vieira and Justin Mitchell, both of Warwick, with assault and battery and disorderl
y conduct.
According to a Wrentham District Court Docket, the Commonwealth entered a Noelle Prosequi for both John Vieira and Justin Mitchell, dropping their charges in the case.
Police said Vieira, Mitchell, and another man were involved in a fight that ended in the death of 53-year-old Dale Mooney at the New England Patriots-Miami Dolphins game in Foxborough on Sept. 17, 2023.
Mooney, of Newmarket, New Hampshire, collapsed at the stadium and received emergency medical care. He later died at Sturdy Memorial Hospital.
Foxborough police reviewed video footage and said it appeared Mooney had started the fight, and was punched three times in the head during the altercation.
District Attorney Michael Morrissey said a preliminary investigation showed Mooney died from a medical issue, and there was no sign of traumatic injury that contributed to his death. He determined that Mooney died as a result of “probable cardiac dysrhythmia in a person with severe hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease during a physical altercation.”
Categories: Massachusetts, News, Rhode Island
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