BRENTWOOD : Arraignment Set for Man Blamed in O’Connor Suicide

The Brentwood man arrested on suspicion of drug charges after the suicide of actor Carroll O’Connor’s son is scheduled to appear in court April 19 for possible arraignment, authorities said Thursday.

Police booked Harry Thomas Perzigian, 39, Wednesday on suspicion of possessing cocaine for sale, only hours after O’Connor publicly named Perzigian as a dealer who sold drugs to O’Connor’s son, Hugh.

Hugh O’Connor, an actor, shot himself to death at his Pacific Palisades home Tuesday, and his father later said the younger O’Connor was a longtime drug addict who was depressed at the prospect of having to submit to another lengthy drug rehabilitation program.

A spokeswoman for Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti said Perzigian is scheduled to appear in West Los Angeles Municipal Court on April 19. If prosecutors have filed charges against him by then, he will be arraigned, she said. As of Thursday, no charges had been filed.

The spokeswoman declined to speculate on whether Perzigian will be charged with manslaughter or murder in connection with Hugh O’Connor’s death.

The O’Connor family has asked that donations be made in Hugh O’Connor’s name to the Clare Foundation in Santa Monica and the Los Angeles County chapter of the National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependency.