On May 23, 1929, 24-year-old Elizabeth Palumbo died at West End Hospital in Chicago. Dr. Amante Rongetti, age 46, signed a death certificate attributing her death to appendicitis. However, an undertaker thought that Elizabeth's death was suspicious and asked Coroner Herman Bundesen to investigate.
Dr. Amante Rongetti |
Rongetti was held by the coroner on June 12 for having perpetrated the fatal abortion. When the investigation ended, Rongetti vanished. He turned himself in on July 2 and was released after only a few minutes because he had arranged in advance for his attorney to bail him out.
Authorities also put West End Hospital under scrutiny, noting that on January 15 of that year the fire prevention engineer had cited ten violations there. The hospital's owner, Dr. Benjamin Breakstone, had himself been investigated by the coroner on other occasions.
Rongetti managed to stall the trial for over a year. When the jury was chosen, jurors were required to pledge that if legally appropriate, they would sentence Rongetti to death.
However, he was acquitted after three ballots. The first stood 7 to 5 for acquittal but after three further hours of deliberation the five jurors voting for conviction were won over by the majority.
All of these goings-on surrounding Elizabeth's death took place while Rongetti was out on bail pending a new trial in the abortion death of Loretta Enders, for which he'd been sentenced to die in the electric chair. He won a new trial and Rongetti was found guilty of manslaughter in Loretta's death. He was out on bail in the Enders case when Elizabeth died.
The medical board did not agree with the jury in Elizabeth's case. They moved to revoke Rongetti's license while he was out on bail pending appeal of a manslaughter conviction. Their grounds were that he was under conviction for manslaughter, and that he had committed gross malpractice in the deaths of both Loretta Enders and Elizabeth Palumbo. Rongetti dragged the process out but did eventually lose his license.
Sources:
- "Rongetti Held Again on Serious Charge," Journal Gazette, May 27, 1929
- "Rongetti Faces New Accusation," Decatur (IL) Herald, May 27, 1929
- "Rongetti Arrested Again," The Pantagraph, May 27, 1929
- "Rongetti Again Faces Death Charge," Chicago Times, May 27, 1929
- "Rongetti Again Held on Serious Charge," Journal Gazette, May 27, 1929
- "Seize Rongetti; Probe Death of Young Woman," Chicago Daily Tribune, May 27, 1929
- "Officials Start Hospital Probe in Rongetti Case," Chicago Daily Tribune, May 28, 1929
- "Seeking Rongetti on New Murder Charge," Journal Gazette, June 13, 1929
- "Police Seeking Dr. Rongetti," Chicago Times, June 13, 1929
- "Rongetti Faces Trial Today on Murder Charge," Chicago Daily Tribune, June 17, 1930
- "Pick Four Jurors to Try Rongetti; Deny Delay Plea," Chicago Tribune, June 18, 1929
- "Rongetti Gives Self Up on New Murder Charge," Chicago Daily Tribune, July 3, 1929
- "Rongetti Free Under Bonds on Second Murder Charge," The Pantagraph, July 3, 1929
- "Jurors Acquit Dr. Rongetti in Woman's Death," Chicago Tribune, June 22, 1930
- "State Seeking to Take License From Rongetti," Chicago Tribune, November 13, 1930
- "License Board Hears Rongetti Trial Evidence," Chicago Tribune, November 14, 1930
- "Enjoin Medical Board's Trial of Dr. Rongetti," Chicago Tribune, December 17, 1930
- "Rongetti Loses Plea to Block Ouster Hearing," Chicago Daily Tribune, February 4, 1931
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