WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. -- The death of the teenage neighbor of state Sen. Bob Regola has resulted in months of speculation and investigation on whether the teen committed suicide.

According to papers filed by Westmoreland County's district attorney, Regola could be charged with reckless endangerment, as well as involuntary manslaughter.

District Attorney John Peck is considering those charges after some testimony during a two-day coroner's inquest indicated that Regola sometimes let his teenage son keep the handgun that killed 14-year-old Louis Farrell in his bedroom.

Farrell, who lived next door to the Regolas, was found shot to death behind his home in Hempfield Township last July.

"It was a conscious disregard of a known risk for Sen. Regola to give a gun and ammunition to his son and permit his son to keep those items in his bedroom," said Peck.

"All the evidence presented reflects that this gun was stored in a case with the clip removed from that gun, in the room of Senator and Mrs. Regola on the day in question," said an attorney for Regola.

Despite that legal disagreement, the district attorney said Farrell's death appears to be a suicide.

Peck wrote that there's no evidence to suggest anyone in the Regola family played a direct part in Ferrell's death.

A press conference is scheduled for Thursday.

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