Four doctors acquitted of manslaughter in Palermo

Last Updated: October 9, 2024

Omicidio colposo, assolti quattro medici a Palermo

The judge Marco Gaeta acquitted the doctors from the Cervello hospital and the San Raffaele hospital in Cefalù, Aroldo Gabriele Rizzo, Filippo Boniforti, Angelo Vetro, and Giancarlo Pompei, who were accused of manslaughter for the death of Darin D’Anna Costanzo, who died at 35 years old from a tumor. According to the preliminary hearing judge, the fact does not exist.

The hypothesis was that the doctors had made a wrong diagnosis. It was the mother of the young man, who had a rare form of tumor manifested with a knee problem, a retired medical biologist, who sent the slides for a new biopsy to a hospital in the North and discovered her son’s illness.

The cause of death was a synovial sarcoma, a very rare and aggressive soft tissue tumor. The patient himself had reported the healthcare providers before his death. The doctors are defended by lawyers Massimo Motisi, Vincenzo Lo Re, Bartolo Studiale, Rosario Vento, and Salvatore Tamburo. The victim’s family had joined the lawsuit as civil parties.