Countdown to Lillehamer / ’94 Winter Olympics : Ice Dancer Blames Drug in Father’s Stabbing Death

In a tearful news conference on the front lawn of her parents’ home in Sheffield Lake, Ohio, U.S. Olympic ice dancer Elizabeth Punsalan said Sunday she believes her brother was suffering from a violent reaction to a new medication when he allegedly stabbed his father to death Friday night.

Ricardo Punsalan, 20, had a history of drug and psychological problems, she said, and was home on a weekend pass from a psychiatric unit at a nearby hospital when his father, Dr. Ernesto Punsalan, 57, was killed by two knife wounds to the chest while sleeping in his bedroom.

According to police, Ricardo Punsalan will be arraigned today on a charge of aggravated murder.

Elizabeth Punsalan notified U.S. Olympic Committee officials Sunday that she and partner Jerod Swallow, her husband, will compete in the Winter Olympic ice dance competition that begins Feb. 18.

They practiced for two hours Saturday before driving from their home in Northville, Mich., to Sheffield Lake.

“When you have a tragedy like this, having a goal can be very important to help take your mind off it,” U.S. Figure Skating Assn. official Paul George said.

At Punsalan’s request, the USFSA arranged for her to share a room during the Olympics with Swallow, although, under normal circumstances, men and women live in separate quarters in the athletes’ village.

A family friend told the Associated Press that Ernesto Punsalan, 57, knew of his son’s battle with mental illness but resisted efforts to have him committed full time to a psychiatric hospital.

“He was worried about him,” said Dr. Paresh Patel, who worked with Punsalan, a surgeon, at a hospital in Elyria, Ohio. “He said, ‘He is my son. He should be at home.’ ”