5 years after 'Dr. Death,' doctors still come to Texas to leave pasts Just one day after his suspension had ended, Duntsch operated on Kellie Martin. Over objections from Duntsch's lawyers, prosecutors called many of Duntsch's other patients to the stand to prove that his actions were intentional. [38], Duntsch is housed at the O. Jerry Summers Was 'Dr. Death's' Best Friend. He hoped to play football, but his multiple transfers revoked his eligibility. Licensed to kill: lawsuit seeks to overturn Texas hospital shield law For instance, he came to work wearing the same tattered scrubs for three days in a row. Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville, Texas. Wendy Renee Young and Christopher Duntsch first met in 2011 at a Beauty Shop bar in Memphis. During his surgery, Duntsch didnt installed the necessary hardware to Muses spine and instead had left it floating between the spine and muscle tissue. among the top 12 percent of medical school graduates in his class named to the elite Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. Officers took him to a nearby psychiatric hospital. He then packed it with too much of a substance intended to stop the bleeding. Over this period, Duntsch performed back surgeries that left his patients in a worse condition, paralyzed, or deceased. That same month, the two began an affair. As part of their investigation, prosecutors obtained a December 2011 email written by Christopher Duntsch. Why do Slipknot wear masks and what do they look like without? Christopher Duntsch Wiki, Biography, Age, Wife, Family, Net Worth In 2011, Christopher Duntsch met Wendy Young at the Beauty Shop bar in Memphis. Duntsch filed a patent for the technology, and he listed himself as one of the inventors even though he had not discovered it. Summers asked Duntsch to fix his chronic neck pain from a high school football injury that had gotten worse after a car accident. [38][39] On December 10, 2018, the Texas Court of Appeals affirmed Duntsch's conviction by a 21 split decision. 'Dr Death' Stars Share Why They Think Christopher Duntsch - TheWrap Kane also recalled a cocaine- and LSD-fueled night of partying between her, her ex-boyfriend, and Duntsch where, after the end of their all-night party, she saw Duntsch put on his lab coat and go to work. In July 2015, Duntsch was arrested in Dallas and charged with six felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, five counts of aggravated assault causing severe bodily injury, and one count of injury to an elderly person. Muse spiraled into opioid addiction that cost him his wife and his job. The patient was Mary Efurd coming in for a second operation. 'Dr. Death': Texas Neurosurgeon Sentenced to Life in Prison - Peoplemag Dr. Duntsch said to Cheney, "I don't know why you're this way. Christopher Daniel Duntsch (born April 3, 1971)[1] is a former American neurosurgeon who has been nicknamed Dr. D. and Dr. Death[2] for gross malpractice resulting in the maiming of several patients' spines and two deaths while working at hospitals in the DallasFort Worth metroplex. Unfortunately, it's all too real. 'Dr. Death' Condemns Christopher Duntsch, but the Real Culprit Is Texas A few days later, he took the test and passed. At the time, Duntsch was accused of injuring 33 out of 38 patients in less than two years before the Texas Medical Board revoked his license. [46], Dr. Death, a TV mini-series based on the podcast, began streaming on Peacock on July 15, 2021. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! During his short tenure, he spent little time in the operating room. He had complex regional pain syndrome, a rare type of chronic pain that caused his skin to blister and peel off. Duntsch also received forty percent of all revenue he generated beyond $800,000 each year. The surgery was supposed to take less than 45 minutes and ultimately lasted over four hours. Prince Charming, Im gonna change your life, Wendy Young said of the promising start to her romance with Christopher Duntsch. Duntsch is a former neurosurgeon born in 1971 in Montana . The day after Mary Efurd's surgery, she awoke in excruciating pain and could not turn over or wiggle her toes. One day, he happened to see a fax come in to the medical examiner's office. Soon after starting Efurd's surgery, Duntsch turned to Kissinger and told him he would be performing a craniotomy on Floella Brown. Duntsch received his undergraduate degree from the University of Memphis and stayed in town to receive an M.D. When he arrived, Nurse Kyle Kissinger spotted a hole in Duntsch's scrubs. Jeff Glidewell Today: Where Is Dr. Death's Last Patient Now? - Heavy.com Several people who were in the operating room for Efurd's surgery suspected that Duntsch might have been intoxicated, recalling that his pupils were dilated. Premiering Thursday on . Where Is Christopher Duntsch AKA Dr. Death Now? He Got A - Bustle [37][4], Over objections from Duntsch's lawyers, prosecutors called many of Duntsch's other patients to the stand in order to prove that his actions were intentional. As a result of the 2017 trial, Duntsch was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Dr. Rimlawi called Baylor Plano and advised them against continuing a relationship with Christopher Duntsch, but this fell to deaf ears. The two went back to Duntsch's home and danced under a disco ball he had in his office. Although he wasn't a talented athlete, he trained for hours on his own and made it as a linebacker on his high school football team at Evangelical Christian School in Memphis. He declared bankruptcy after listing debts of over $1 million. For 33 patients of Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, it was a reality. July 14, 2021. Passmore had a herniated disc in his lower spine pressing on a nerve causing him pain. Dr. Randall Kirby, a general and vascular surgeon, assisted with Morguloff. (The Associated Press) A Texas neurosurgeon branded a "sociopath" by his colleagues could be facing 99 years in prison over multiple charges of intentionally botching . [18] He damaged patient Philip Mayfield's spinal cord, drilling into it and leaving him partially paralyzed from the neck down. A Texas jury found Christopher Duntsch guilty Feb. 14 of maiming patients who had turned to him for surgery to resolve debilitating injuries. [4] Mayfield died of COVID-19 in February 2021; according to his wife, he had been vulnerable to the virus due to complications caused by Duntsch's botched surgeries. He ran two labs, gained experience writing grants, and earned more than $3 million in funding for research projects. Why Did Dr. Death Do It? 'Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story' Explains Then came the fax, and he saw Duntsch's name next to Kellie Martin's. The director of neurosurgery at UT Southwestern, Carlos Bagley, testifying for the defense, said that "the only way this happens is that the entire system fails the patients." [31][16] The inquiry went nowhere until 2015, when the statute of limitations on any potential charges was due to run out. Duntsch arrived at the hospital about 45 minutes after Efurd's surgery had been scheduled. Victim of Real-Life 'Dr. Death' Believes There Are Others - Yahoo! He also reported shooting pains throughout his body. Duntsch also appears in no yearbooks during the time in which he says he earned his Ph.D. They didn't have enough evidence to stop him because he hadn't done anything wrong yet. Baylor Plano allowed Duntsch to continue operating despite the documented issues with Kenneth Fennell, Mary Efurd, Lee Passmore, and Barry Morguloff's surgeries. She was transferred to a Dallas hospital after suffering from a severe infection, and Randal Kirby was asked to operate on her. He secured investments in Discgenics from local spine surgeons, including Dr. Robertson and Dr. Kevin Foley, a prominent Memphis neurosurgeon Duntsch spent a year training under as part of the surgery fellowship at the Semmes-Murphey Clinic. She suffered a stroke as a result. Joshua Jackson went to the dark side to play Dr. Christopher Duntsch, who's serving a life sentence for maiming a woman during surgery, in the new Peacock series Dr. Death. 5 of Dallas County (opinion)", "Texas Court of Appeals Affirms Conviction of 'Dr. He was left with only one vocal cord, permanent damage to his esophagus, and partial paralysis on his left side. Young let him buy her an appletini, and they felt a connection; eventually, she went home with Duntsch. ", "Greg Abbott Enters Fray in Lawsuits Involving "Sociopath" Doctor", "Abbott sides with Baylor hospital in neurosurgeon lawsuit", "Who Are Robert Henderson And Randall Kirby, The Surgeons Who Tried To Stop 'Dr. Dr. Christopher D. Duntsch, Inactive - Plano, TX - RateMDs During his tenure at Baylor Plano, Kimberly Morgan assisted in every surgery with Duntsch. Dr. Robert Henderson was brought in on July 28, 2012, to perform a revision surgery on Efurd. Dr Death, un nuevo programa que llegar a Peacock el jueves (15 de julio), se basa en la historia de la vida real de Christopher Duntsch, un ex neurocirujano que era, como dijo un famoso titular de ProPublica, "tan malo que era criminal".. Joshua Jackson interpreta a Duntsch, que ahora tiene 50 aos y cumple cadena perpetua despus de ser condenado en 2017 por mutilar a uno de sus . Glidewell was reportedly still suffering the ill effects of Duntsch's operation years later and has undergone more than 50 procedures to correct the damage. Getty Dr. Duntsch, aka "Dr. Death", operated on his last patient in 2013, before he was arrested. In his deposition, Summers admitted he made up the pre-surgery cocaine binge because he felt Duntsch had abandoned him, as both his doctor and his friend. If Baylor Plano or Dallas Medical had reported him to the Texas Medical Board or the National Practitioner Databank, hiring personnel would have been notified something was wrong. He is not eligible for parole until 2045; he will be 74 years old by then. The deal required Duntsch to attain privileges at Baylor Regional Medical Center in Plano. Those are the words that Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a Dallas neurosurgeon, wrote to his girlfriend in 2011 in the midst of a two-year period that left 33 of his 38 patients maimed, wounded or . Christopher Duntsch, known as "Dr. Death" tried to explain himself in rambling emails, but he only made things worse for his criminal case. [44] The Dallas County district attorney's office called it "a historic case with respect to prosecuting a doctor who had done wrong during surgery. He called Duntsch's fellowship supervisor in Memphis, as well as the supervisor of Duntsch's residency; it was then that he learned about the incident that led him to be referred to the impaired physician program. Christopher Duntsch was sentenced to life in prison in February 2017 for his heinous acts. Anatomy of a Tragedy. DiscGenics says its mission is toimprove the lives of those suffering from the debilitating effects of degenerative diseases of the spine. Duntsch told Mayfield's wife it went well, but she instantly knew something was wrong as she walked into his room. How the 'Dr. Death' TV show takes 'a deeper dive' than the popular podcast Vaccinated people who catch Covid are reporting unique symptoms - the 4 signs to watch for, Man, 34, charged with murder after woman, 63, killed in house fire as family vow 'you'll never be forgotten', Six dead after private jet crashes and explodes in fireball between two houses sparking forest blaze near golf course. Updated Dec 9, 2022 at 3:25pm. Since receiving his life sentence, Dr Death is currently housed in the O.B. During surgery, he cut a major vessel in her spinal cord. His sophomore year, he made it as one of the few walk-on players. He said even a person with the most basic sense of human anatomy would know they were operating in the wrong area. Even worse, some of the patients never got the chance to wake up. The lead investigator on the case later revealed that she wanted Duntsch's license suspended while the ten-month probe was underway, but board attorneys were not willing to go along. This time on 53-year-old Mary Efurd. [9][10], Duntsch had severed Brown's vertebral artery, and refused to abort despite the massive blood loss. D Magazine gave him the nickname in . Dr. Mark Hoyle, a surgeon who worked with Duntsch during one of his botched procedures, told D Magazine that he would make extremely arrogant announcements such as: Everybody is doing it wrong. 5 chilling details about Christopher Duntsch - sportskeeda.com She bled to death . Dr. Death: Disgraced surgeon at center of podcast, show has CSU roots This case was filed in Dallas County District Courts, Dallas County Civil District Courts located in Dallas, Texas. He thought it was odd that Duntsch wasn't working at Baylor Plano anymore, so he called his insurance company, who stated Christopher Duntsch was in good standing. The pressure was building inside her brain. Could you take care of it?" His father, Donald, was a physical therapist and Christian missionary. Jeff Cheney later learned that part of his spinal cord had been cut during the operation. Moving made sense for both of them. From 2017: https://bit.ly/3hXJccx The television series Dr. Death based on the incident, began streaming on Peacock in July 2021. Trusty would later find out there was no award and it had just been a paid advertisement. The True Story Of Christopher Duntsch, The Killer Surgeon Known As Dr. Mayfield died of COVID in February 2021; according to his wife, he had been vulnerable to the virus due to complications caused by Duntsch's botched surgery. Duntsch had his surgical rights temporarily suspended after his botched surgery on Summers and his first patient back was 55-year-old Kellie Martin. This meant Summers could still feel pain, but was unable to move from the neck down. In 2014, he developed syringomyelia, a painful condition that causes fluid-filled cysts on the spinal cord. The explanation was enough to satisfy Muse. However, Baylor did not fire him; instead, he was allowed to resign. Christopher Duntsch was nicknamed Dr. Death due to the injuries he caused his patients. The Judge overseeing this case is GINSBERG, CARL. The Dallas district attorney's office subpoenaed every hospital on Duntsch's CV for records of his surgeries. When he began at MISI, Duntsch hired an assistant, Kimberly Morgan, and she started on August 29, 2011. As the trial team put it, the "scary pattern" of Duntsch's actions became apparent to the others in the office, leading the DA to give the green light to take the case to a grand jury. Joshua Jackson Is Game, but 'Dr. Death' Lacks Insight: TV - Variety He was sent to a program for impaired physicians when he returned but was allowed to finish his residency. According to his lawyers, Duntsch had not realized how poorly he had performed as a surgeon until he heard the prosecution experts tell the jury about his many blunders on the operating table. Dallas Magazine states that Duntsch became key in supplying samples to scientists for research. Where Is Christopher Duntsch Now After His Appearance on - Distractify [3], Duntsch was accused of injuring 33 out of 38 patients in less than two years before his license was revoked by the Texas Medical Board. Several of Duntsch's surgeries at Baylor Plano resulted in severely maimed patients: Baylor Plano officials found that Duntsch failed to meet their standards of care and permanently revoked his surgical privileges. Morgan says they spent a lot of time in clubs. Once, he stopped by to pick up some paperwork. Christopher Duntsch: A Review of Clinicide - Walsh Medical Media He was a genius. When other doctors discovered the sponge, Duntsch refused to return to help remove it. Dr. Christopher Duntsch appeared to havean impressive resume, but left a trail ofpain and devastation for those who trusted him with their health. Ratings for Dr. Christopher D. Duntsch, Inactive. If you had back pain, and had tried everything else, Dr. Duntsch could give you the spine surgery that would take your pain away. But, she never reported Duntsch up the ladder or told anyone about the horrors she witnessed in the operating room. [4] [19], Despite both of his surgeries at Dallas Medical Center going catastrophically awry, hospital officials did not report him to the NPDB. [38] Shughart countered that the 2011 email, sent after his first surgeries went wrong, proved that Duntsch knew his actions were intentional. They created a method for culturing the stem cells of intervertebral discs outside of the body. Cheney recalled wondering why a neurosurgeon with such outstanding credentials would be operating at a lower-tiered hospital on the way to his surgery. Where is Michelle Shughart Now? - The Cinemaholic