Man Apparently Died of Heart Attack in Fight
A man who died on Valentine’s Day after he was punched by the live-in friend of his estranged wife apparently died of a heart attack and not head injuries he suffered during the altercation, police said Friday.
Detectives originally believed that Charles Lovinggood, 45, died after he hit his head on a slate tile floor after Steven Cartrett, 29, slugged him twice Feb. 14.
Before the incident, police said Lovinggood was upset because Cartrett was living in a house with Marilyn Lovinggood, 45, who had been separated from her husband for nearly a year.
Marilyn Lovinggood told police that she and Cartrett were only friends and that Cartrett was living there because the earthquake had damaged his home.
Cartrett was not charged with a crime.
The Los Angeles County coroner’s office has not released the results of Lovinggood’s autopsy, a spokesman said.
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