Gatti’s death ruled suicide; widow released

RIO DE JANEIRO – Boxer Arturo Gatti’s death was ruled a suicide by police Thursday and his wife, once suspected of killing the former champion, was released from jail.

Lead investigator Paulo Alberes told the Associated Press authorities decided Gatti killed himself while at a seaside resort in northeastern Brazil.

When asked if police had determined the case was a suicide, Alberes said “yes.” He offered no other details, though Judge Ildete Verissimo de Lima, in ordering the immediate release of Gatti’s wife, cited the police investigation and wrote that “the victim took his own life, committing suicide by hanging.”

The boxer’s widow, 23-year-old Amanda Rodrigues, said in a phone interview as she walked out of jail she thinks Gatti may have killed himself because he was afraid she was going to leave him after the pair had a violent disagreement in public the night before his death.

A day after the 37-year-old Gatti was found dead, police said that Rodrigues had strangled him with her purse strap as he drunkenly slept.

But police began to back off the accusation about a week later after a coroner’s report said Gatti may have killed himself as he was found “suspended and hanged.” The autopsy report didn’t exclude the possibility he was slain, but said he also could have died in an unexplained accident, or could have committed suicide.

Gatti, who captured two world titles in his 16-year pro career, retired in 2007 with a record of 40-9.