Sometimes I am drawn to a story of murder because it involves a family member of a famous celebrity. The murder of a loved one somehow manages to make celebrities seem more like you or me. They, too, unfortunately, are just as susceptible to pain and heartache as the rest of us. Cases such as the murder of Bill Cosby's son, Ennis Cosby, or Michael Jordan's father, James Jordan, bring this harsh realization home.
Such was the case last week when I heard about former beloved Saturday Night Live comedienne Cheri Oteri and the murder of her father, Gaetano Thomas "Tom" Oteri. As a fan of Cheri Oteri's work on SNL, from her "Simm'a Down" character to a sexual nymphomaniacal Barbara Walters to her over-exuberant Spartan cheerleader played opposite Will Ferrell, Oteri always made me laugh. That is why the thought of her suffering the pain of the murder of her father affected me so deeply.
Though the celebrity angle is what caught my eye, the details of the case are endlessly fascinating and merit attention here simply based on the facts alone, regardless of the players.
Tom Oteri, 69, shared a home with his friend and musical collaborator, Richard "Rich" Fagan, 61, in Nashville, Tennessee. Fagan is an extremely successful songwriter who has penned two #1 hits for country singer John Michael Montgomery, "Be My Baby Tonight" and "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)," as well as another #1 song for Clay Walker, entitled "Only on Days That End in Y." Fagan had several more Top Ten hits for Montgomery and also wrote several songs for such artists as diverse as Neil Diamond, Shania Twain, The Blues Brothers Band, George Strait, Hank Williams Jr., The Kingsmen, and George Jones.
According to the Fagan and Oteri's mutual website, the duo met around 1975. Fagan, a Vietnam vet and ant-war protestor was discharged in 1968. He became a "homeless vagabond" who divorced in 1975. Afterwards he turned to drugs and alcohol and remained homeless. It was about this time he ran into Tom Oteri, a "Philadelphia music entrepreneur."
Oteri was considered a saint by many people as well as a "person of peace." According to Oteri's biography, he was the 1998-99 recipient of "The Caring Touch Award," in Nashville for his work with a local hospice program.
According to the bio, "When Fagan was down and out, it was Tommy who took him in and put him on a path to songwriting stardom. I know Rich would be first to credit Tommy for that transformation."
According to Fagan's own bio, Oteri had invited Fagan to come down to his recording studio to record some tunes. Fagan promptly showed up two hours late and was as drunk as a skunk. Oteri laughed and said, "I like the act so far. If he can sing, we're taking him with us."
The two men became collaborators and fast friends. Oteri would be there for his buddy for over thirty years. The only binding agreement the two men ever made with one another were matching tattoos of two hands shaking.
The most recent developments of this case came about slowly.
At approximately 10:45 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, Fagan was pulled over on Dickerson Pike by a Nashville police officer for "riding on three tires." Fagan failed a sobriety test and was sent to jail on DUI charges. He claimed he had drunk six shots earlier that evening.
Fagan contacted a mutual friend of his and Oteri's to ask him to go check up on his buddy. There was no word as to how Tommy was doing.
