GREENSBURG, Pa. -- The father of a 14-year-old Hempfield boy found shot to death with state Sen. Robert Regola's gun is suing Regola, his wife and teenage son.

In July, when the Farrell family decided to sue, attorney Jon Perry said that the Farrells believe Regola didn't safely store the gun in his home, and that 18-year-old Bobby Regola may know how Louis Farrell got a hold of the weapon.

The lawsuit filed Monday in Westmoreland County Court marks the first time that the Farrell family specifically accused Bobby Regola of being with Louis Farrell and handling the gun when the boy died.

Doug Farrell found his son Louis dead in the woods behind the two families' homes in July 2006, state police said. The death was ruled a suicide by the county coroner.

"I've said all along I don't believe Louis was in the woods alone when his life ended," Perry told The Associated Press on Monday.

The lawsuit contends Louis Farrell and Bobby Regola, who was 16 at the time, made plans to go into the woods to smoke a cigar, and Bobby Regola brought a 9 mm handgun that was registered to his father.

Bobby Regola handled the weapon in a "reckless and careless manner so as to permit the firearm to discharge into the cranium of Louie Farrell directly and proximately causing his death," the lawsuit said.

The Regolas have not commented on the Farrell lawsuit, which seeks an unspecified amount in damages.

"This civil suit is not about money and it's not about vindictiveness," Perry said in July. "It's about clearing their son's name and allowing them to rest in peace."
Raw Video: Interview With Farrell Family Attorney (approximately 10 minutes)

The Regolas have said Bobby never went outside to meet Louis Farrell for a cigar. Farrell had a key to the family's house so he could watch their dogs while the Regolas were out, police said.

Earlier this year, Sen. Regola was acquitted of charges that he recklessly stored the gun and committed perjury at a coroner's inquest when he said he never allowed the weapon to be kept in his son's room.

Bobby Regola was found delinquent in juvenile court on a weapons charge and sentenced to probation. He was never charged or directly implicated in Farrell's death.

"We've had experts involved from the very beginning and we have analyzed the forensic evidence and we have other evidence that was not brought to light in the coroner's inquest that we think would prove that Louis was not there alone and that Bobby was with him," Perry told the AP.

Soon after being found not guilty, Regola decided not to run for a second term. County Commissioner Kim Ward was elected in November to fill his seat.

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