Today's news conference concerning the 2009 death of retired boxer Arturo "Thunder" Gatti went as expected, with a panel of experts presenting evidence that they say proves that the death was not a suicide, as ruled in Brazil (where he died), but a homicide.
Private investigators Paul J. Ciolino and Joseph M. Moura presented statements from seven experts, including doctors and engineers, outlining the results of a 10-month investigation they say conclusively shows Gatti did not commit suicide.
... "In my opinion he was attacked by another person and that resulted in a blunt force injury to the back of the head and then he was strangled," said Brent Turvey, with a firm called Forensics Solutions.
Gatti, who was 37 when he died, was known in the ring for his completely fearlessness and his numerous Fight of the Year awards. Many who knew him over the years expressed disgust at the idea that Gatti would have committed suicide, though some did feel as though it was a possibility.
Gatti's ex-wife, Amanda Rodrigues, is considered "an extreme person of interest in this case," according to Ciolino, and Brazilian authorities are still investigating despite dropping charges against her in 2009. Rodrigues is currently being sued by Gatti's family over his $7 million estate, as his will was allegedly changed just three weeks before his death, which left everything to Rodrigues instead of to Gatti's family, as he had previously wished.