DOCUMENT: Crime

Halloween Special: Sad Tale Of Smashed Pumpkins

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Halloween Special: Sad Tale Of Smashed Pumpkins

Members of Smashing Pumpkins, rock's most anguished band, have just reached a legal settlement arising from the July 1996 death of keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin, who OD'd after scoring heroin in New York City with then-drummer Jimmy Chamberlin.

Melvoin's wife Laura has alleged that Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan and his bandmates should have known that her husband was shooting up and, as a result, were "in whole or in part responsible" for the death of the musician, who was touring with the Pumpkins.

Here is the three-page settlement notice filed this month in superior court in New Hampshire (and first discovered by reporter Loren Billings of the Conway Daily Sun).

While the agreement calls for Melvoin's infant son to receive $10,001, a band spokesperson has said the actual amount is much higher. We've also included the New York criminal complaint filed against Chamberlin, who was subsequently dumped from the Pumpkin patch. (5 pages)