PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Times Herald
By KEITH PHUCAS
kphucas@timesherald.com
COURTHOUSE — The late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua died of natural causes with a nurse by his side, and nothing was suspicious about his death, according to Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Walter Hofman.
Bevilacqua, 88, died on Jan. 31, a day after a Philadelphia court ruled him competent to testify in a priest child endangerment case. Hofman performed a postmortem examination on the body a day later at the request of District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman, who wanted to be certain nothing untoward occurred to cause the cardinal’s death.
The coroner said he would not ordinarily have performed a forensic examination on Bevilacqua, considering his advanced age.
“It is my opinion there is no relationship between the judge’s competency ruling and his Eminence’s subsequent sudden death,” Hofman said. “Elderly people (often) suddenly die. This is a natural death.”
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