Coroner to Release Bevilacqua's Death Cause

My Fox Philly
March 7, 2012

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/coroner-to-release-bevilacqua%27s-death-cause


PHILADELPHIA - It was a story first reported on Fox 29, when we broke the news that a coroner was looking into the death of Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua. On Thursday, the public will get the results.

There will be a 1 p.m. press conference in Norristown, Pa., where Montgomery County Coroner Walter Hofman will announce his findings in the death of the 88-year-old Bevilacqua.

Bevilacqua died on the night after a judge said the former leader of the Philadelphia archdiocese was competent to testify at the Philadelphia child abuse trial that starts later this month.

Bevilacqua was the archbishop of Philadelphia from 1988 to 2003, and he had been living in retirement in Lower Merion.

He allegedly was suffering from dementia and cancer.

Hofman investigated the case due to the timing of the death. He ordered an examination of the body to test for toxicology results.

Hofman told Fox 29 on February 28th that preliminary findings showed prescribed pharmaceuticals in the system of the late Cardinal.

Hofman told Fox 29 his office was testing to see if the amount of drugs in Bevilacqua's system at the time of his death matched the prescribed dosage. .

The coroner said his office is doing drug analysis and pharmacokinetics testing and he hopes to close the case out by March 10.

Fox 29 first reported in early February that Hofman brought the Cardinal's body to his offices for examination and toxicology tests.

Sources said that neither the Philadelphia district attorney nor the Montgomery County district attorney initially asked Dr. Hofman to do toxicology tests.