The Loop

Doctor guilty of obstruction in Blasberg death

December 02, 2010

The doctor who discovered the body of LPGA player Erica Blasberg in her Henderson, Nev., home on May 9 has pled guilty to obstruction of justice, a conclusion that Blasberg's father, Mel Blasberg, called "insignificant."

"I felt that the verdict was insignificant," Mel Blasberg told ABC News. "I think the way Dr. (Thomas) Hess acted and didn't act is partly responsible for Erica's death. But I was looking for some remorse."

Mel Blasberg indicated that he will file a civil suit against Hess, who said he removed a suicide note and prescription medications from her house. He was sentenced to one year probation and 40 hours of community service.

A coroner ruled Blasberg's death a suicide. She was found with a plastic bag over her head and toxic levels of prescription medications in her system.

"If you're asking me did Dr. Hess kill my daughter, no, he did not," Mel Blasberg said in this Golf Channel interview with Kelly Tilghman. "But his inactions and poor actions certainly was a factor in why Erica is not with us today. There's a number of things that happened on Saturday night when he was there. There was nonreaction on phone calls he made.

"Obviously there's going to be some civil action here. He didn't act well as a doctor or human being."

-- John Strege