Maradona's Death Was Crushing. But Was It Criminal?

Soccer legend Diego Maradona's 2020 death was crushing. But was it criminal? That's what an Argentine court will ultimately decide. The Washington Post reports eight members of Maradona's medical team have been charged with homicide for their alleged failure to keep Maradona alive. He died in Buenos Aires two weeks after being released from a hospital following emergency brain surgery for a blood clot. The accused doctors and nurses say they provided sufficient care, that Maradona's relatives were properly consulted about that care, and that the heart attack that killed him was unrelated to the reason he was hospitalized in the first place. If convicted, they could face sentences of up to 25 years. More:

• Two trials will take place. The first, for which there'll be a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, involves a nurse who cared for him. The second trial against the seven other defendants—Maradona's personal doctor, Leonardo Leopoldo Luque, and his psychiatrist, Agustina Cosachov, are among them—will begin on March 11, reports Reuters.
• "We are not saying the doctors wanted to kill Maradona," says prosecutor Patricio Ferrari, per the Post. "Rather, they knew it could happen and they didn't do anything." Maradona's insurer pushed to have him taken to a specialized facility that could address his addiction following surgery; his doctors wanted him taken to a private home instead. Ferrari says doctors failed to ensure that country home was equipped to properly care for him. The AP cites a 2021 report by 20 medical professionals alleging Maradona spent 12 hours in pain and unattended to prior to his death.
• Luque's lawyer counters, per the Post: "Diego was a messed-up patient. He fought with everyone, he fought with Luque, he wanted to leave the clinic." The Post adds that the 60-year-old was "notoriously incorrigible."
• Meanwhile, AFP reports a court on Tuesday granted Maradona's daughters' request that his remains be moved from a cemetery to a yet-to-be-built mausoleum in Buenos Aires.

(More Diego Maradona stories.)