Nurse from Argenta on trial for murder with Esmeron: the Nocera case opens
Matteo Nocera, 44, is standing trial before the Assizes Court of Ferrara for the death of an elderly patient. The charge: unlawful administration of rocuronium bromide.
Argenta, nurse on trial for murder: Esmeron at the centre of accusations
The trial of Matteo Nocera, a 44-year-old nurse from Lugo, opened on Thursday 17 September 2026 before the Assizes Court of Ferrara, as reported by nurse24.it. The defendant is accused of aggravated voluntary homicide for the death of Antonio Rivola, 83 years old, who died on 5 September 2024 in the Long-term Care ward of Mazzolani-Vandini hospital in Argenta.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, Nocera allegedly administered Esmeron — the commercial name for rocuronium bromide, a neuromuscular blocking agent — without any therapeutic indication. The defendant declares his innocence and, until a definitive sentence, the presumption of innocence applies to him.
The hearing and witnesses
The Court, presided over by Piera Tassoni, admitted thirty-five witnesses from both prosecution and defence, according to the Resto del Carlino. The presiding judge ordered a ban on television coverage in the courtroom, including from the Le Iene programme, despite the consent of the defence counsel. Nocera, detained, was present at the hearing. The trial will resume on 8 October.
In the front row sat Daniela Poggiali, a former nurse from Lugo who was definitively acquitted in 2023 of the accusation of having killed two patients with potassium chloride. The two cases share the same defence counsel, solicitor Lorenzo Valgimigli, and the same defence medical-legal consultant, Rafi El Mazloum.
An articulated charge
In addition to homicide, the Prosecutor's Office contests maltreatment charges against Nocera, aggravated by effect, against eight elderly patients admitted between September and October 2024: the accusation maintains that he administered midazolam, haloperidol and naloxone in the absence of medical prescription. Hence the charges of unauthorised practice of the medical profession and falsification of public documents for untrue entries in the clinical record. The accusatory framework also includes grievous bodily harm to a patient, aggravated fraud and interruption of public service.
In June, the preliminary investigating judge Giovanni Solinas ordered committal for trial, declaring no case to answer on two instances of maltreatment. The position of a doctor in the ward, under investigation for falsification in concert, is being dealt with in a separate file.
The issue of foreign qualifications
According to investigators, the diploma obtained in Romania and presented to the Ausl of Ferrara for his hiring would be false. If the hypothesis were confirmed, Nocera would have worked on the ward without proper professional qualifications. For the nursing community, this is the most critical aspect of the investigation: in Italy, a healthcare qualification obtained in another country of the European Union enables the exercise of the profession only following recognition procedures by the Ministry of Health and registration with the nursing order.
The defence: "No evidence of administration"
Solicitor Valgimigli contests the accusatory framework. "There is no evidence of administration of curare," he stated to the Resto del Carlino. The defence highlights the absence of video surveillance in the ward and recalls that analysis of the defendant's hair provided no findings.
The investigation begins with missing vials
The inquiry began from a report by the Ausl of Ferrara regarding the disappearance of some vials. Carabinieri and the National Hygiene and Food Safety Authority of Bologna cross-checked therapeutic plans with pharmacy stocks. Esmeron was kept in the emergency trolley of the Long-term Care ward, where it is used for emergency intubation. Neuromuscular blocking agents are among the high-risk medications provided for by Ministry Recommendation no. 7 on therapy errors, which prescribes dedicated procedures to companies for storage and control of supplies.
Source: Google News IT — Crime (it)