Forensic pathologist says boxer Arturo Gatti didn’t commit suicide
Posted Sep 8, 2011 02:58:17 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
When Arturo Gatti was found dead in Brazil two years ago, officials ruled it a suicide, concluding the legendary boxer hanged himself with a purse strap.
But a noted forensic pathologist told a news conference in New Jersey Wednesday that the Brazilian conclusion is “pure, unadulterated fiction.”
Cyril Wecht was on a panel of forensic experts who spent 10 months examining the evidence and concluded the former junior welterweight champ was murdered.
They say they found a severe laceration on the back of Gatti’s head that could have incapacitated him before he was strangled.
The investigation was initiated by Gatti’s manager, and Wecht says the case must be reopened if authorities in Brazil have “an iota of moral, ethical and legal concern for their reputation.”
Amanda Gatti was initially considered a suspect in the death of her Italian-born, Canadian-raised husband.
She’s now battling Gatti’s family in civil court in Montreal over his $6-million fortune.
She dismisses Wecht’s conclusions, insisting the suicide finding is the right one.
