Maradona ‘left to suffer’ for over 12 hours before death, forensic expert tells court

Diego Maradona endured hours of suffering before his death, a forensic expert testified in court as seven medical professionals stand trial for alleged homicide over their handling of the football legend's final days.

Forensic doctor Mauricio Casinelli, who participated in Maradona's autopsy, told the court that fluid had been accumulating in his lungs for at least 10 days before his death due to heart failure and liver cirrhosis—conditions that should have been detected by his caregivers.

Maradona's heart weighed nearly twice that of a healthy one, Casinelli said, adding that this would have caused him "agony" for at least 12 hours before he passed away on 25 november 2020, at the age of 60. At the time, he was recovering at home from brain surgery for a blood clot, though he had struggled with cocaine and alcohol addiction for decades.

The prosecution has described his final days as a "horror theatre," arguing that Maradona was effectively abandoned to his fate. He was found to have died of heart failure and acute pulmonary oedema—a condition where fluid builds up in the lungs—just two weeks after his surgery.

Casinelli also criticised the conditions of his care, stating that the house where he died was not a "suitable place for home hospitalisation."

The seven defendants, including doctors and nurses, are charged with "homicide with possible intent," meaning they allegedly continued a course of action despite knowing it could lead to their patient's death. If convicted, they face prison sentences of between eight and 25 years.

The trial, which has faced multiple delays, is expected to run until july, with nearly 120 witnesses set to testify.