Suspect Stabs Brother on Clinton Island in Front of Victim's Son, 10: Police

A man stabbed his older brother on Cedar Island in Clinton after a day of drinking escalated into a violent argument and the victim's 10-year-old son witnessed part of the fight, police said.

Matthew Voog, 37, is facing charges after police say he stabbed his 38-year-old brother several times in the chest and arm on Wednesday July 1. His friend, Eddie "Scoobie" Herger, 45, of Golden Bridge, New York, was also arrested after threatening officers on scene, police said.

Clinton police and firefighters responded to the island after receiving a report that someone was injured. The victim's injuries were serious, so an ambulance took him to Yale-New Haven hospital.

Police learned in the investigation that the brothers were drinking throughout the day. The brothers started quarreling and got into a physical altercation before Matthew Voog stabbed his brother several times, police said.

The victim's son, who was on vacation visiting his father, saw part of the brawl. Police released him to his mother who came to pick him up from out-of-state.

Their friend, Herger called 911 and helped the victim back to the dock as they waited for police and firefighters to arrive.

Meanwhile, Matthew Voog showered to wash off the blood on him, police said. When police got there, they said he wasn't wearing a shirt and there was a shirt on fire on the ground. He told them he did stab his brother but in self defense, claiming his brother punched him in the face and attacked him first. When questioned about the burning shirt, Herger told police that he didn't know why the shirt was on fire, where the knife was or anything about the incident, police said.

Herger threatened to take two responding police officers' guns and kill them, lunging at one of the officers, so he had to be physically restrained, police said.

Voog and his brother didn't cooperate with police and wouldn't let them search the home they were in for the knife, police said. But police applied for a search warrant. While they were waiting, Herger returned to tell them he helped the suspect burn the shirt that had the victim's blood on it, police said. He had also washed the blood off the knife and put it in the sink before police arrived.

Police charged Matthew Voog with first-degree assault, risk of injury to a minor, tampering with evidence and interfering with police. Herger was charged with tampering with evidence, providing a false statement to police and two counts of interfering with police.

Police held Voog on a $1-million bond and Herger was held in custody on a $25,000 bond. Both men appeared in Middletown Superior Court on Thursday.

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