Buenos Aires, Mar 27 (EFE).- Diego Maradona’s death was preceded by a “prolonged agony” that lasted up to 12 hours, according to forensic expert Mauricio Cassinelli, who testified on Thursday before the court investigating the football legend’s ing.
Cassinelli, a former director of Legal Medicine at the Scientific Police Superintendency, revealed that Maradona’s heart was “over twice the normal size” and that his body showed “generalized edema, from head to toe.”
The forensic specialist explained that Maradona had “4.5 liters of accumulated fluid in his body,” with “three liters in the abdomen.” He stressed that the fluid buildup was not sudden.
“This is not something that happens in a day, two, or four, it develops over time. At least ten days,” he stated.
Signs of severe health deterioration
The autopsy found that Maradona suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition that causes the heart’s chambers to enlarge and weaken.
His heart alone weighed twice as much as a normal one, and experts found a type blood clots, which, according to Cassinelli, form only when a patient experiences prolonged agony.
The forensic expert estimated that Maradona received no medical checks after 12:30 am on the day of his death, suggesting he may have suffered for up to 12 hours before ing away.
“Everything was swollen,” Cassinelli remarked, pointing to Maradona’s lungs while presenting graphic autopsy images.
He also described “diseased kidneys” and signs of nephroangiosclerosis, a condition affecting kidney blood vessels. Additionally, he showed evidence of liver cirrhosis.
Jana Maradona, the footballer’s daughter, left the courtroom before the explicit images were displayed.
Official cause of death and time of death estimate
The official autopsy concluded that Maradona died on Nov. 25, 2020, due to “acute pulmonary edema secondary to exacerbated chronic heart failure.”
Acute pulmonary edema occurs when fluid accumulates in the lungs, often due to heart failure or lung damage. Based on forensic findings, Cassinelli estimated Maradona’s time of death between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm.
Contradictory second autopsy report
At the request of the defendant’s defense teams, forensic expert Pablo Ferrari, an official specialist for Argentina’s Supreme Court in Buenos Aires Province, conducted a separate autopsy last year, challenging the conclusions presented by Cassinelli.
Ferrari’s 25-page report argued that Maradona “did not receive any medical or pharmacological treatment for his coronary condition” and estimated that his agonizing state lasted only minutes or, at most, a few hours.
The San Isidro Prosecutor’s Office dismissed Ferrari’s report, stating it was conducted without a forensic team, within 72 hours, and based on evidence provided by the defense of neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, Maradona’s doctor.
Luque had advocated for home care instead of hospitalization for the football icon.
The trial continues as investigators seek to determine whether medical negligence played a role in the death of the football legend. EFE
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