Argentina has been holding the second trial for the death of Diego Armando Maradona since April 14, the same trial that was declared null last year following the scandal involving former judge Julieta Makintach, who was found participating in a documentary about the case while presiding over the court. Now, judges Alberto Gaig, Alberto Ortolani, and Pablo Rolón of the Criminal Oral Court No. 7 of San Isidro are conducting a process that has already had ten hearings without institutional disruptions, though not without drama. The defenses have gained prominence in this new process since prosecutors Cosme Iribarren and Patricio Ferrari revealed much of their strategy in the annulled trial and have lost the element of surprise. Overall, the emerging picture from the courtroom is that of a man abandoned to his fate by those who had the obligation to care for him.
Tuesday, May 4’s hearing was technically devastating for the accused: forensic experts certified that Maradona did not suffer a sudden death, but rather a prolonged agony lasting up to twelve hours. The doctors confirmed a condition of generalized edema, liver cirrhosis, and kidney damage, and found clots in the heart chambers that evidenced the slow process by which the heart of the Ten was shutting down.
Doctor Mario Schiter, who accompanied Maradona in his rehabilitation in Cuba, testified for almost six hours and complicated the criminal outlook for neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque by stating that he was the one who should have determined the frequency of nursing checks during his home hospitalization. Additionally, he revealed that he advised Luque and psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov not to move Diego to a house, and that they did not listen to him.
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The most dramatic moment of this second trial occurred last Thursday, the tenth session of the trial: Luque displayed autopsy photographs during his testimony, which caused Gianinna Maradona to break down crying in the courtroom, insult the doctor, and the hearing was suspended. On a previous day, Verónica Ojeda, the player’s ex-partner and mother of his youngest son, also responded with insults to the neurosurgeon: Luque played an audio in which he claimed the voice was that of a drunk Diego Maradona, attributing responsibility for his deterioration to the family.
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