The investigation into the death of the well-known La7 journalist, Andrea Purgatori, which occurred on July 19, 2023, has expanded to include other people.
According to various news sources, including Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica, two more doctors are under investigation. Maria Chiara Colaiacomo, a member of the medical team that collaborates with radiologist Gianfranco Gualdi (already under investigation with his assistant, Claudio Di Biasi, for manslaughter), and Guido Laudani, a well-known cardiologist who treated Purgatori, are the new subjects of the investigation conducted by the Rome Prosecutor's Office.
The four doctors are being investigated for possibly having had a negligent role in the journalist's death. This matter is becoming increasingly intricate. To clarify possible criminal responsibilities, a hearing scheduled by the Prosecutor's Office for March 21, delegated to four experts, will be crucial.
Purgatori's relatives, represented by lawyers Michele and Alessandro Gentiloni, stress the need to determine whether there were misdiagnoses and consequent inappropriate therapies.
The autopsy ordered by the Rome Prosecutor's Office revealed that Purgatori had undergone specific treatment for brain metastases diagnosed by doctors at the Pio XI Clinic (including Gualdi and his team, including assistant Claudio Di Biasi, both under investigation), metastases that the autopsy did not confirm.
This diagnosis, probably incorrect, led to a series of aggressive therapies that damaged the journalist's health.
Fabio Lattanzi, the lawyer defending three of the four doctors under investigation, told Repubblica: “The fact that no brain metastases were found is not clarifying. There was radiotherapy and they could have disappeared because they were treated correctly.”
The outcome of the hearing on March 21 will provide more details – these tests will be performed by neuroradiologist Alberto Beltramello, forensic doctor Adriano Tagliabracci, cardiologist Pasquale Perrone Filardi and infectious disease specialist Pierluigi Viale.
Their tasks, as underlined by the investigating judge Marisa Mosetti in conferring the mandate to them, will be: “identify the causes and circumstances of Purgatori's death and the possible responsibilities of the medical staff who cared for him”.
Article published on March 7, 2024 - 17pm
