Former Chicago White Sox pitcher Charlie Haeger was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Saturday as part of an alleged murder-suicide.
Former Chicago White Sox pitcher Charlie Haeger found himself in the news again on Saturday. He had been wanted for questioning due to the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Danielle Breed, on Friday, when a male roommate identified Haeger after hearing gunshots from the residence. When he entered, Haeger had been leaving her bedroom with a handgun, which he pointed at the roommate. He escaped, calling the police from a neighbor’s house.
When police entered, they found Breed dead in the bedroom, having been shot multiple times. Haeger was immediately wanted for questioning in the shooting, leading to a search for his whereabouts. His unoccupied vehicle was found near Flagstaff, Arizona, leading to a search of the area.
That search ended Saturday afternoon. Haeger was found dead along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, the victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Haeger had been drafted in the 25th round of the 2001 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox out of Detroit Catholic Central High School in Novi, Michigan. He had spent two seasons in the minors before retiring after the 2002 season, but returned in 2004 as a knuckleball pitcher.
That knuckleball proved to be his ticket to the majors. He was promoted for a spot start in 2006, and was then a September callup that season. Haeger showed promise that year, with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.364 WHiP in 18.1 innings, striking out 19 batters, but also issuing 13 walks.
While Haeger bounced around the upper minors, and spent parts of five seasons in the majors, he never found that level of success again. He appeared with the White Sox, Padres, and Dodgers in the majors, posting a combined 6.40 ERA and a 1.747 WHiP in his 83 innings. Although he allowed roughly a hit per inning, and notched 69 strikeouts, his command kept him from finding sustained success, as Haeger issued 59 walks.
Our thoughts go out to Danielle Breed’s family and friends during this time.