Another member of the defense team also put a not guilty spin on the fast verdict saying to find him guilty would require them to spend time debating whether it was first degree murder, second degree or a combination of both.

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Coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe said she decided on a narrative verdict because she was not able to find any evidence for a "clear cause" of death.

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He adds that the verdict "complicates things for a party that is trying to find an easy transition, a new identity and new alliances" and that it needs to explain to the electorate "how much the legacy of Berlusconi still casts a shadow on the present".

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