World-renowned forensic pathologist Vincent Di Maio behind San Antonio ‘Angel of Death’ case

San Antonio – Dr. World-renowned San Antonio forensic pathologist Vincent Di Maio, 81, found a suspicious pattern in a string of infant deaths at a local hospital and pushed for an investigation to bring the “angel of death” to justice.

During his tenure as chief medical examiner from 1980 until his retirement in 2006, Di Maio raised the professional standards of the Bexar County medical examiner’s office and even helped design the current 52,000-square-foot headquarters.

But he is best known for his forensic detective work.

He was a sought-after expert witness in high-profile criminal cases around the world, including the 2007 murder of Los Angeles-based music producer Phil Spector, where Di Maio testified in defense. The jury was deadlocked. Spector was retried and convicted of second-degree murder in 2009.

Di Maio died in September. After a long battle with COVID-19, the 18th.

“His relentless pursuit of excellence is part of his legacy in this office,” said Dr. Bexar County’s current chief medical examiner, Kimberly Molina. “If I’m going to play, I want to train with him.”

PhD. Gunshot wound forensic expert Vincent Di Maio (right), who testified for the defense during the murder trial of music producer Phil Spector, introduced a plastic stick to show the mouth of a plastic head model Internal self-oral gunshot wound Wednesday, June 27, 2007, Los Angeles.  Spector is accused of killing actress Lana Clarkson in February 2003.  (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, Poland)

PhD. Gunshot wound forensic expert Vincent Di Maio (right), who testified for the defense during the murder trial of music producer Phil Spector, introduced a plastic stick to show the mouth of a plastic head model Internal self-oral gunshot wound Wednesday, June 27, 2007, Los Angeles. Spector is accused of killing actress Lana Clarkson in February 2003. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, Poland)

Damian Dovarganes, Poland/AP

PhD. Robert Books, who served as deputy chief medical examiner, recalled the lessons he learned from Di Maio, including the importance of carefully and patiently explaining to families how a loved one died.

Doctors and public officials say Di Maio runs a professional office, employs highly qualified staff and is impartial. “He knew a lot and shared it well,” Books said.

In one case that caught his national attention, Di Maio discovered a series of 42 mysterious infant deaths at Bexar County Hospital (now University Hospital) between 1978 and 1983. His investigation into the deaths led investigators to the notorious “Angel of Death” pediatric nurse Genena Jones, who is estimated to have killed 60 babies.

Jones, who was indicted in 2017 on five murder charges in Bexar County, will be released in 2018 after serving one-third of his sentence due to a law designed to ease prison overcrowding. In January 2020, she pleaded guilty to the 1981 murder of an 11-month-old baby. Di Maio’s daughter, Samantha Di Maio, is one of the prosecutors in the case.

She recalls being in court with her father when she was a child, which got her interested in a legal career.

In 1981, Di Maio exposed the tragic death of 77-year-old Joseph T. Kelly. Di Maio’s predecessor concluded that Kelly died of natural causes. Kelly’s body was exhumed after San Antonio police told Di Maio they found a bloody hammer near his body.

After retiring, he testified for the defense in George Zimmerman’s 2013 Florida murder trial. Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder after shooting unarmed 17-year-old black man Trayvon Martin. Di Maio testified that forensic evidence supports Zimmerman’s claim that he acted in self-defense.

Zimmerman was found not guilty.

“He never shied away from controversy,” Molina said.

Family business

Forensic pathologist Dr. Vincent DiMaio testifies on Monday, May 23, 2016 at the Cadena-Reeves Justice Center in the murder of former Bexar County Sheriff's Deputy Anthony Thomas. A forensic pathologist for over 40 years, DiMaio retired in 2006 from Bexar County's Chief Forensic Medical Officer.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Vincent DiMaio testifies on Monday, May 23, 2016 at the Cadena-Reeves Justice Center in the murder of former Bexar County Sheriff’s Deputy Anthony Thomas. A forensic pathologist for over 40 years, DiMaio retired in 2006 from Bexar County’s Chief Forensic Medical Officer.

Alma E. Hernandez for the San Antonio Express-News/Alma E. Hernandez/San Antonio Express-News

Forensic Pathology is Di Maio’s family business. His father, Dominick Di Maio, served as New York City’s chief medical examiner. When Vincent Di Maio was a full-fledged forensic physician, he collaborated with his father on a textbook on forensic pathology.

Di Maio graduated from the State University of New York Downstate School of Medicine in 1965, and then served as Director of the Division of Forensic Medicine and the Division of Wound Ballistics at the Armed Forces Pathology Institute in Washington, D.C.

From 1972 to early 1981, he worked as a medical examiner in Dallas County, participating in the excavation of Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated President Kennedy.

In the early 1980s, Di Maio came to San Antonio to take over as the county’s chief medical examiner. He is also a professor at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio School of Medicine and editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology from 1991 to 2017.

Early in his tenure here, Di Maio pressured the Bexar County commissioner to hire an additional pathologist and increase the number of autopsies his office conducts — so fewer homicides slip through the cracks.

Di Maio, who co-wrote “The Mortuary: A Life in the Dead” with crime writer Ron Franscell, told PBS’ “Frontline” that he chose the field because it was “intellectually stimulating.” He is a staunch advocate for professionalizing death investigations and raising scientific standards in the United States.

He disliked the work of the old-school, less rigorous county coroner.

“The coroner system was a great system in the 10th century. That was when people couldn’t read, you walked around barefoot and lived in little huts,” he told Frontline. “But now in the 21st century, medical legal work should be based on science and employ scientists.”

Di Maio was often in the backyard, lying in a hammock with a stack of books by his side, his family said. He’s a history junkie and can recite details of major battles. Not surprisingly, he also has an encyclopedic knowledge of firearms.

Di Maio has a gift for writing and talking about forensics in a way that juries, police, lawyers and the public can easily understand, Bux said.

Di Maio’s wife, Theresa, said his proudest moment came in 2018 when the forensic headquarters on Louis Pasteur Drive, South Texas Medical Center, opened in his name. Bux said Di Maio has been working to ensure the facility has everything it needs, including a shooting range to test ballistics.

Forensics around the world rely on Di Maio’s book on gunshot wounds. His family said he saw it used when he testified in an Israeli court as an expert witness.

“He was passionate about what he did and our field,” Molina said. “On the national stage, he’s a terrific advocate for our field. Whether you agree or disagree, you respect him.”

jbeltran@express-news.net

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