Brothers’ internet spat ends in fatal stabbing

Attorney: Client diagnosed with Asperger’s

A brawl between brothers over internet access took a deadly turn Tuesday when a 20-year-old Leominster man stabbed his older sibling to death, police said.

Timothy Record’s griefstricken family members sobbed in Leominster District Court yesterday as he pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in connection with the stabbing death of his 23-year-old brother, Nathan J. Record, during a fight over digital devices overwhelming the bandwidth at their house, police said.

Officers responding to their Lake Shore Drive home about 5:49 p.m. Tuesday said they found Nathan Record suffering from a single stab wound to the chest. After administering CPR, emergency responders rushed him to Leominster Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to police.

The fatal wound was the result of a verbal argument between the brothers that escalated to Nathan “repeatedly” punching his brother in the face and head, according to the police report, which said Timothy Record “retrieved knives from the kitchen and confronted” his brother before fatally stabbing him.

As he was led into the courtroom in a blue blazer and pajama pants, distraught family members in the last row of the gallery broke down in tears.

The family declined to comment after a judge ordered him held without bail.

Leominster interim police Chief Michael Goldman told the Herald there was a history of violence between the two brothers and estimated officers had responded to the Lakeshore Drive home “about eight to 10 times” over the years.

“Almost all of them were domestic in nature between the two brothers,” Goldman said. “We’ve been dealing with them since they were juveniles. The brothers fought, there is no question.”

Record’s defense attorney, Blake Rubin, said his client is “upset, as expected.” He also told the Herald last night his client has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a mild form of autism.

“My client’s medical condition plays a part,” Rubin said, adding “the facts are so tragic.”

Rubin said the two brothers lived together, along with their mother, stepfather, and other siblings.

Record is due back in court Oct. 6 for a pretrial hearing.

STAFF PHOTOS BY PATRICK WHITTEMORE ‘IT’S VERY SAD, VERY TRAGIC’: Defense Attorney Blake Rubin, left, speaks to media after the arraignment of his client Timothy Record, far left, on murder charges after his brother Nathan was stabbed Tuesday night in Leominster.