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Long Island resident Michael McDougall, age 65, of Roosevelt, was indicted on manslaughter and related charges in Nassau County Court on Tuesday, Oct. 29, in the death of his mother, McDougall.
His sister, Nichole McDougall-Mullings, age 55, of Roosevelt, was also charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person.
Nassau County Police responded to the family’s residence at around 2:40 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, for a welfare check. Officers found the 85-year-old McDougall unresponsive, and she was taken to Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital in Oceanside.
Doctors told police the woman had suffered a catastrophic brain bleed. She spent six days on life support before dying on Wednesday, Sept. 18.
According to prosecutors, Ms. McDougall suffered from dementia and her son, Michael, was her primary caregiver.
Inside the home, police recovered footage from a NEST camera that showed Michael McDougall putting his mother in a headlock and swinging her around on the morning of her death, prosecutors said.
The footage showed the woman falling to the ground and hitting her head. Michael allegedly then threatened her to get up as she lay moaning on the floor.
McDougall-Mullings is accused of abusing her mother on two occasions in August. In one incident, she held the woman down while applying pressure to her arms, wrists, and neck, and slapped her mother in the face, prosecutors alleged.
During another incident on the same day, she struck her mother, shoved her into her bed, and placed her body on top of her mother’s 92-pound frame, putting pressure on her torso, prosecutors said. She allegedly yelled threats and hindered the woman’s breathing.
“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 Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly.
“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.”
Michael McDougall is charged with the following:
- Manslaughter (felony)
- Endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person (felony)
- Criminally negligent homicide (felony)
He pleaded not guilty and was jailed on a $500,000 bond.
Nichole McDougall-Mullings was charged with 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 due back in court on Friday, Nov. 22. If convicted, McDougall faces up to 19 years in prison, while Mullings could get up to four years.
Meanwhile, loved ones are paying tribute to Carmel McDougall, a Jamaican immigrant who moved to Brooklyn as a teenager and later worked as a dietitian at Caledonian Hospital, according to her obituary.
She married her husband Eric in 1963, and the couple moved to Roosevelt eight years later.
“Carmel’s love language was cooking, a passion she shared with everyone she met,” reads her memorial. “Whether at home, at work as a dietitian in nursing homes across Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island, or catering events, her meals were prepared with love and care, never hesitating to nourish others.”
A deeply spiritual person, McDougall was a committed member of Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, relatives said. She was actively involved in numerous committees and ministries, including the Ladies Auxiliary of the Knights of Columbus, Kindergarten Teachers Aide, and the Bereavement Ministry.
“Carmel had a special love for children, and her home always welcomed them with open arms. She believed that every child should come home to a warm hug and a hearty snack,” her obituary said.
“This philosophy led her to become a beloved childcare provider in her community. Though she birthed four children, her love extended far beyond, and many more grew up feeling like her own.”
McDougall is survived by her husband Eric; siblings Nina, Sylvester, and Reynold; children Michael, Nichole, Pierre, and David; 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held Saturday, Oct. 5, at Queen of the Most Holy Rosary in Roosevelt.
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