Maradona died ‘in agony,’ forensic expert tells court

The condition of Diego Maradona’s corpse indicated that he must have died “in agony,” according to an expert who participated in the late football legend’s autopsy. This testimony was given Thursday during the trial of seven medical professionals accused of homicide in connection with his death.

Forensic doctor Mauricio Casinelli testified that water had been accumulating in Maradona’s lungs for “at least 10 days” prior to his death, which was caused by heart failure and liver cirrhosis. He noted that the doctors and nurses caring for Maradona should have recognized these signs.

Casinelli stated that Maradona’s heart “weighed almost twice as much as a normal heart,” adding that this condition likely caused him “agony” for at least 12 hours before he passed away.

Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at the age of 60, while recovering at home from brain surgery for a blood clot. He had struggled with cocaine and alcohol addiction for decades.

His seven-person medical team is on trial for what prosecutors have described as the “horror theater” of the final days of his life. Maradona was found to have died from heart failure and acute pulmonary edema, a condition where fluid accumulates in the lungs, two weeks after undergoing surgery.

Casinelli remarked that the house where Maradona died did not seem “a suitable place for home hospitalization.” The defendants are accused of “homicide with possible intent” for following a course of action that they knew could lead to their patient’s death. They face prison sentences ranging from eight to 25 years.

Prosecutors argue that the footballer was abandoned to his fate during a “prolonged, agonizing period” leading up to his death. Nearly 120 witnesses are expected to testify in this long-delayed trial, which is anticipated to run until July.