Prosecutors: Man Dies In Fight With Friend Over Beer

WINCHENDON (CBS/AP) – Prosecutors say a dispute over a beer led to a fist fight between two Winchendon friends that ended with one of them dead and the other facing criminal charges.

Police say 32-year-old Donald O'Malley was killed during a fight around 7 p.m. on Spruce Street.

No weapons were used in the fight.

Police arrested 49-year-old Thomas Maxwell and charged him with aggravated assault and battery. He was ordered held on $50,000 bail after pleading not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday.

Police say the two men were friends.

O'Malley's mother, who said her son was very close family friends with Maxwell, called the incident a "horrible accident."

Maxwell's attorney tells The Telegram & Gazette that O'Malley was the aggressor and that his client acted in self-defense.

Prosecutors say charges against Maxwell could be upgraded.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)