In the fourth day of the trial over Diego Maradona's death in San Isidro, police who found the body, the doctor who certified the death, and neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque testified for the fourth time. Videos and medical chat audios were shown, sparking debates. The court ended Thursday's hearing, set to continue Tuesday with Carlos Díaz.
The fourth hearing in the trial over Diego Armando Maradona's death on November 25, 2020, took place Thursday in San Isidro courts. Seven health professionals face charges of "simple homicide with eventual dolus".
Lucas Farías, a Villa La Ñata police officer, described arriving at the Tigre house: he found Maradona's body supine, swollen, dressed in a black t-shirt and Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata shorts. He noted chemical toilets downstairs and lack of proper medical equipment. Cristian Méndez, from Scientific Police, detailed initial exams: cadaveric rigidity, globous stomach, and temperature to estimate time of death.
Juan Carlos Pinto, a Más Vida doctor, recounted the scene: the body showed edema, ascites, livor mortis, and did not respond to 15 minutes of compressions. "There was no defibrillator, respirator, or oxygen," he stated, handing the death certificate to Luque, identified as the attending physician. A 17-minute video of the room was shown.
Leopoldo Luque, in his fourth testimony, defended home hospitalization and blamed family conflicts between Maradona's daughters and Verónica Ojeda. He presented chats and audios; prosecutors played contradicting ones from WhatsApp group "Equipo médico Maradona". "I see an overreaction of attack with disordered audios," Luque replied. His lawyer Francisco Oneto said: "It's crystal clear Luque had nothing to do with it".
Gianinna Maradona, present, stated: "I hope for a conviction for Luque". The trial continues Tuesday.
