Ted Koppel’s Son Dead at 40

Sad and bizarre news:  “Ted Koppel’s Son, 40, Found Dead in NYC Apartment.”

The 40-year-old son of former ABC News anchor Ted Koppel was found dead in an apartment in upper Manhattan after a day of bar hopping with a man he met at a watering hole, a law enforcement official said Tuesday.

Andrew Koppel was declared dead around 1:30 a.m. Monday in the apartment in the Washington Heights neighborhood, Detective John Sweeney said. The cause of death has not been determined, but no evidence so far indicates criminality.

Koppel had been drinking heavily for hours with Russell Wimberly, whom he met at a bar, according to a law enforcement official. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the investigation into the death was not completed.   Koppel started drinking at Smith’s Bar and Restaurant in Manhattan and went to several other locations with the man, the official said.

[…]

Andrew Koppel was convicted of misdemeanor assault in 1994 for striking a U.S. Senate aide during an argument at a Capitol Hill automated teller machine. At the time, he was a student at Georgetown Law School.

Koppel and the drinking buddy eventually wound up at the apartment, which belonged a friend of Wimberly’s, the official said. Wimberly and Belinda Caban, who lived at the apartment, told Koppel to sleep it off and later found that he had gotten sick and appeared not to be breathing, the official said. The two then called 911, the official said.

[…]

An autopsy was performed Monday but results were pending further study, including toxicology and tissue testing, said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the city medical examiner. Additional tests were needed to determine the manner and cause of death, Borakove said. They will take a few weeks to complete.

Condolences to the families.

FILED UNDER: Obituaries, , , ,
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.