Overview
- A Buenos Aires court convicted Pettinato of negligent arson causing death in the 2022 Belgrano apartment fire that killed his neurologist, Melchor Rodrigo.
- Tribunal Oral en lo Criminal y Correccional No. 14 imposed a three-year term that he will not serve in prison if he complies with conditions.
- Judges Enrique Gamboa, Gabriel Vega and Gustavo Valle ordered him to fix a domicile, continue drug rehabilitation and remain under the Penal Execution Assistance Directorate’s oversight.
- The ruling also incorporated a nine-month sentence for simple sexual abuse that was issued in April 2024.
- Days after the verdict, Pettinato reappeared on Instagram and attended the premiere of the Michael Jackson biopic in Buenos Aires, while his brother Homero publicly called the death an accident and blamed media reports for spreading false details.