Maradona may have agonised for around 12 hours, court told by doctor | OneFootball

Diego Maradona may have endured a prolonged decline before his 2020 death, alone on his recovery bed, a forensic doctor told the trial of seven healthcare workers accused of fatal negligence.

According to L'Équipe, Carlos Casinelli, who examined the body at the scene then took part in the autopsy, said cerebral oedema, clots in the heart, a pleural effusion, generalised oedema and signs of hypoxia pointed to a drawn out, not sudden, process. He added he could not be exact, but at the time the team estimated around 12 hours of suffering.

On Tuesday, fellow pathologist Federico Corasaniti also cited heart findings consistent with a prolonged agony, though he was less precise than Casinelli.

The length of any decline is central to the case, which assesses the monitoring Maradona received at a private residence in November 2020 after straightforward neurosurgery for a head haematoma. He died there of cardiorespiratory arrest combined with pulmonary oedema.

The day nurse found him unresponsive on the morning of 25 November. Casinelli placed the time of death between nine in the morning and noon.

The defence rejects any prolonged agony, arguing his death was natural in a body worn by excess and addictions. Seven medical staff, including a doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist and nurses, are on trial near Buenos Aires for homicide with eventual intent, namely negligence committed knowing it could cause death, and face up to 25 years.

Thursday’s hearing in San Isidro was the eighth since the second Maradona trial began in mid April. The first attempt in 2025 was annulled after two months when a judge was recused for secretly taking part in a documentary series, and with two hearings per week it could run until July.

Source: L'Équipe