Diego Maradona’s bodyguard who was with legend on day he died ARRESTED in ‘house of horrors’ case over star’s death
DIEGO Maradona’s former bodyguard has been arrested in the investigation into the player’s death.
His final days have been described in court as a “House of Horrors”, and now Julio Cesar Coria — who worked closely with Diego — has been detained after a dramatic twist in the trial of seven medics accused over the star’s care.
The Argentinian star died in November 2020[/caption]
Coria is escorted at the San Isidro court in San Isidro, Buenos Aires province[/caption]
A trial over Maradona’s death involved the chief prosecutor showing the court a very graphic image of the footballer[/caption]
Prosecutor Patricio Ferrari accused Coria of lying under oath, prompting trial judges to order his immediate arrest.
He had given evidence as a witness at the ongoing trial, which started on March 11 and is set to continue until the summer.
Coria, 48, had worked with Maradona for five years and was with him at the house in Tigre, near Buenos Aires, where he died of heart failure on November 25, 2020.
He attempted mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as the Napoli star lay unresponsive in bed.
Coria had been called as a witness due to his close relationship with the star – but Ferrari told the court he falsely claimed he hadn’t spoken to Diego’s doctor, Leopoldo Duque, before the death and wasn’t a friend of his.
WhatsApp messages revealed the pair had discussed Maradona’s health and even arranged a barbecue.
Coria also reportedly failed to mention in his initial statement that psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov had attempted CPR — only to later claim she had on the witness stand.
Judges ordered his arrest following a brief recess.
He was later seen being driven away in a patrol car, handcuffed in the back seat.
Luque, Cosachov and five other health professionals are in the dock – nurses Ricardo Almiron; Nancy Forlini and Mariano Perroni; psychologist Carlos Diaz and doctor Pedro Di Spagno.
An eighth person, nurse Gisella Dahiana Madrid, will be tried separately later this year.
They are charged with homicide and face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
Mr Ferrari told the court at the start of their trial Diego spent the last days of his life in a ‘House of Horror’ after he left hospital and agreed to home care.
During a hard-hitting opening speech at the start of the trial Mr Ferrari held up a photo in the packed courtroom of the man regarded by many as the world’s best-ever footballer, lying on his back in bed with his bloated stomach exposed under a lifted-up black T-shirt, and said: “This is the way he died.”
The criminal investigation launched shortly after Maradona was found lifeless in bed was initially classified as a manslaughter probe.
It was reclassified as a homicide investigation following a damning report by a medical board which concluded Maradona’s care team acted “inadequately, deficiently and recklessly.”
A conviction on the charge the seven defendants are being tried on would carry a prison sentence of between eight and 25 years until Argentinian law if the health professionals under the microscope were found guilty of acting in a way they knew could lead to someone’s death but did nothing to avoid it.
Luque, who denies wrongdoing, broke down in tears days after Maradona’s shock death following a search of his home near Buenos Aires and claimed: “If I’m responsible for anything when it comes to Diego, it was loving him, caring for him, improving his life to the end and extending it.”
After his death it emerged Maradona had been buried without his diseased heart, which at 503 grams weighed almost double that of a normal heart for a man his age.
Doctor and journalist Nelson Castro said at the time part of the reason had been to prevent fans from stealing it.
The first court session was streamed live online but it was subsequently decided not to continue with that policy.
Maradona’s daughter Jana today told the court during her evidence her sisters Dalma and Gianinna had wanted to get their dad admitted to a clinic before his death but said Leopoldo Luque had rejected the idea.
