"Based on a hit podcast and inspired by the terrifying true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a young and charismatic star in the Texas medical community," Peacock explains about the series. Don Martin, who was waiting outside, was told the operation wouldnt take more than 45 minutes. Until the day of the suspension, if you had looked Duntsch up on the Texas Medical Board website, you would have found him a physician in good standing. But the board is limited in its ability to investigate malpractice. Two weeks later, on June 14, 2013, Kirby got a call to come to University General to do a recovery surgery on one of Duntschs patients. Kellie Martin was in good health; a laminectomy is considered a minor procedure. Ill do some crying. Near the end of his report, Kirby wrote, The [Medical Board] must stop this sociopath Duntsch immediately or he will continue [to] maim and kill innocent patients. Perhaps it was the completeness and forcefulness of his presentation, perhaps it was the fact that another neurosurgeon had just joined the board, and he understood as none of the rest did the severity of what Duntsch had done. Dr. Death is the new true-crime series on Peacock starring The Affair's Joshua Jackson as the infamous surgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch. Another had 13 civil judgments against him, including for wrongful death, permanent injury and two cases of removing the wrong body part. He said he had no doubt that his son cared about his patients. Kellie Martin went into surgery on March 12, 2012. When physical therapy didnt relieve the pain, her family doctor suggested she see a certain neurosurgeonbut the doctor couldnt find that surgeons card, so she suggested Duntsch instead. You know in the beginning he talked about marriage. So while hospital administrators did a deeper background examination, they granted Duntsch temporary privileges. Dr. Death: The Shocking Story of Christopher Duntsch, a Madman with a Dr Death Christopher Duntsch's late patient Jerry Summers claims killer Dr. Death: Where Is Christopher Duntsch Today? - Grunge The four-part docuseries features old footage and new interviews to tell more of the story about the neurosurgeon who was sentenced to prison after maiming or killing more than 30 patients. Christopher Duntsch, the focus of .css-9cezh6{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#E61957;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-9cezh6:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Peacock's true crime series Dr. Death, looked good on paper. In July 2012, four months after Kellie Martins death, Duntsch applied for surgical privileges at Dallas Medical Center. He was arrested in 2014 for jumping over the fence atthe home of Youngs sisterin Garland and trying to take their son, Aiden. For the last three days, jurors listened to testimony in the . Multiple people dead, dozens injured after dust storm causes massive pileup on I-55 in Illinois, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Duntsch was a highlysought-after neurosurgeon who promised her a life filled with extravagance and success. His mom was a teacher. His report was damning. Birthday boy Zverev knocked out in Munich - mid-day.com If you support this mission, we need your help. The conversation took place in January 2013, after it had become clear that Duntsch would practice until someone stopped him, six months before anyone actually did. At first, Henderson thought Duntsch might be an impostor. The Texas Medical Board finally suspended Duntsch's license on June 26, 2013, and permanently revoked it in December of that year. The jury came back with their verdict in about an hour. Only their consciences, and those of their fellow doctors, limit them. Christopher Duntsch's case was the subject of Wondery's podcast, "Dr. Death," which was released in 2018. Hewould go on to have another child with Youngwho finally split from the struggling doctor by 2014. Why Did Dr. Death Do It? 'Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story' Explains Dr. Christopher Duntsch, Doctor Death Today: Where Is He Now? Public Citizen found that 793 Texas doctors had lost clinical privileges between 1990 and 2011. Before going to medical school, Duntsch wanted to be a pro-football player. The Collin County medical examiner who performed the autopsy was so astounded by what had happened to Kellie Martins body that he brought her back in for another examination. The first three surgeries of Duntschs trial took place on three consecutive days in July 2012, a month after the first complaint against him with the Texas Medical Board. The Peacock originalDr Deathis based on atrue story. .css-1me6ynq{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#125C68;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#125C68;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-1me6ynq:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:#595959;}Peacock's Dr. Death is a chilling dramatization of the real-life story of former neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch. He chose Dallas after learning that Young had family near thecityand she offered to go with him. Please notify us by email that the article will be republished at, The Big Money Behind Greg Abbotts Intervention in Killer Doc Case, Sociopath Surgeon Duntsch Facing Criminal Charges for Botched Surgeries, Sociopath Surgeon Duntsch Arrested for Shoplifting Pants. Hes been devastated, Don Duntsch said. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. These doctors are busythey have practices of their own that pay a lot better than volunteering for the Medical Boardand there arent many of them. He did not make his mark, just not the one that he expected. He was friendly, and we had good conversation. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. We have to consider the uncomfortable possibility that Christopher Duntsch is to the medical system what the recent West explosion was to the fertilizer industrya regrettable tragedy, but the price of living in a free-market system. "Dr. Death" and the companion docuseries "Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story" are both available to stream on Peacock now. A Texas neurosurgeon accused of intentionally botching multiple spinal surgeries, resulting in the death of two . The series is based on reporting from the podcast Dr. Death, from the same production studio that created Dirty John. Wendy Young, portrayed by Molly Griggs in Dr. Death, was the name of Duntsch's real girlfriend. Christopher Duntsch - Wikipedia Within a month of hiring Kimberly Morgan, who was a nurse practitioner, to help him run his new practice, the pair were sleeping together, according to the podcast. "As his victims pile up, two fellow physicians and Dallas prosecutor Michelle Shughart set out to stop him.". Christopher Duntsch wrote that he was ready to become a "cold blooded killer". According to Baylor, Duntsch had clinical privileges when he resigned. Instead, she awoke in searing pain, which she likened to child birth, per D Magazine. Henderson went in to remove it. I was very independent and I had to become dependent on others for transportation, for my meals, for a lot of things.". Because investigations are confidential, Duntschs public record with the Texas Medical Board remained clean. 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 . Their fellow physicians had found them committing such offenses as malpractice, sexual assault and drug use. Soon after Summers woke up paralyzed, a woman named Kellie Martin came to see Duntsch at Texas Neurosurgical Institute. Editors note: For more information about Dr. Christopher Duntschs case, listen to the 2018 podcast Dr. He felt confident. In 2012, when Efurd was 74, she saw Duntsch for what should have been a relatively simple surgery to fuse two of her vertebrae. Kirby said Duntsch had problems at nearly every step of the operation. Kellie Martin and her husband, Don, went to see Duntsch, who suggested a procedure called a microlaminectomy, in which part of the spine is removed to relieve pressure on the nerves. Shes also worked as a social editor for House Beautiful and had previous writing stints at Redbook,CosmopolitanandSeventeen. (And if you want to dive even deeper into the story, you can also watch the new docuseries "Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story" on Peacock, which features interviews with numerous people intimately involved in the case.). The former doctor even boasted a neurosurgical residency at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine at Memphis, earned millions in funding for research projects, obtained a research patent under his name and published academic papers, per Oxygen. In telling the story of Duntsch, both the series and podcast reveal how a flawed system allowed him to operate for so long. Over this period, Duntsch performed back surgeries that left his patients in a worse condition, paralyzed, or deceased. While Christopher caused harm to many, it wasn't until a patient Mary Efurd that he was charged with a crime. 2021 The Texas Observer. To suspend a license, as one Medical Board staffer explained, there has to be enough evidence to prove a pattern. Duntsch, it turned out, had, as with other patients, cut into Glidewells vertebral artery; an MRI found that he had also left a sponge festering in the soft tissue of Glidewells throat. 'Dr. Death' Surgeon Killed or Maimed 33 of His Patients - People How Did 'Dr. Death' Christopher Duntsch Continue To Operate? | True A man who was a victim of other people's bad work and bad behavior," he told Newsweek. The first surgery went fine. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Here's All That Happened to the Real Christopher Duntsch, The Best Peacock Shows to Start Streaming Now, Leann Rimes Shares Video Montage for Anniversary. And Ill reflect back on how difficult those first months were afterwards. He was very eloquent in stating the causes and the need for the procedure. His dad is a physical therapist. Hospitals can get all of the benefit of an expensive surgeon practicing in their facility and little of the exposure. The romance played out mostly in Duntsch's office at Baylor Plano, where he often did research after hours and drank vodka from a handle of Stoli he kept under his desk, according to D Magazine. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. He was a megalomaniac. But its more complicated than that. I thought, this couldnt have happened. Scans later revealed bone fragments from Morguloffs vertebrae lodged in the nerves of his back, according to Lyons. Their romance moved. Duntsch was also arrested for driving under the influence while staying with his parents in Colorado and found himself in handcuffs another time in April of 2015 after he was arrested for stealing $887.30 in Walmart merchandise, according to theD Magazine. Efurd woke up after surgery in horrible pain, barely able to move her legs. Plano's Baylor hospital faces hard questions after claims against Not only shouldnt he be operating, he shouldnt be making any decisions about treatment or pathology. It had no effect whatsoever.. Once the case has been put together, the investigators will make a recommendation to the board itself, a group of 12 physicians and seven laypeople appointed by the governor. One woman came in for a routine operation on a herniated disc, and bled to death on the recovery table. .css-1omz5nv{background-color:#E61957;border-radius:50rem;color:#000;display:inline-block;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:0.8125rem;font-weight:bold;letter-spacing:0.02em;line-height:1.3;padding:0.625rem 1.25rem;text-align:center;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-transform:uppercase;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;width:auto;}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-1omz5nv{min-width:7.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-1omz5nv{min-width:11.25rem;}}.css-1omz5nv:focus-visible{outline-color:body-cta-btn-link-focus;}.css-1omz5nv:hover{color:#fff;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;background-color:#9D002F;}Watch Dr. Death. 300 (2.48 per match) 2021. Those were the words that Christopher Duntsch never wanted to hear. Next week marks the five-year anniversary of Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch being sentenced to life in prison. He was functioning at a first- or second-year neurosurgical resident level but had no apparent insight into how bad his technique was.. Further, both works question Duntsch's perspective. AnnaSophia Robb Stars In New Series Dr. The investigator, Maria Lopez, lets him yell. His performance, Kirby wrote, was pathetic . The operation was a spinal fusion in which two vertebrae are joined; surgeons use a metal plate to help hold the vertebrae together. A 27-year-old Young had been working as a stripper in Memphis when she met Duntsch, then 40. Young was soon pregnantbut Duntsch had already developed a wandering eye. Goals scored. The True Story Behind Peacock's 'Dr. Death' | Time The two-week trial especially focused on Mary Efurd's testimony. The jury found Duntsch guilty of injury to an elderly person (Efurd), and sentenced him to life in prison. The board cant revoke a license without overwhelming evidence, and investigations can take months, with months or years of costly hearings dragging on afterward. He was the eldest of four.They described him as the bright, precocious little boy who had taken care of a sick bird and loved dogs. His younger brother, Nathan, said he had spoken to Duntschs friend and former employee, Jerry Summers, who was left a quadriplegic after one of the botched surgeries. They showed photos of him as a baby, as a toddler, and as a boy getting a soccer ball for Christmas. Deathand the intense media scrutiny surrounding the shocking case would drive Young out of Dallas with the couples two sons. After his license was suspended, Duntsch disappeared. The eight-part series tells the harrowing true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch who, across. We talked about marriage pretty quickly. Before we ask if the board does its job, we have to ask what is the job the Legislature assigned to the board, and what resources the board gets to do that job. For Mary Efurd, it was sweet justice for the man who ruined her life. 12 Unnerving Facts About Dr. Death Christopher Duntsch - Ranker Its more or less satisfied with the way that things work.. In 2008 one of his patients died of a prescription drug overdose after he had prescribed her a lethal dose of the painkiller Tramadol. As a result, one patient died from a massive blood lost. Because of greed. Since receiving his life sentence, Dr Death is currently housed in the O.B. For two days the patient, Jeffrey Glidewell, lay unattended in the ICU while Duntsch made excuses to the family. And then there was the 2011 case of Dr. Rolando Arafiles, the West Texas doctor who sicced the county sheriff on two nurses who dared report him to the Texas Medical Board (see Intent to Harm, March 2011). The problem, she said, isnt staff. I dont know what it is, she said. But according to Dr. Robert Henderson, another neurosurgeon at Dallas Medical Center, the comprehensive information Baylor sent over when Duntsch applied consisted of an email saying that there were no issues with Duntschs performance, that hed been on staff and had voluntarily resigned. During the summer of 2012, as Duntsch was searching for a new hospital, another doctor who had witnessed Duntschs errors at Baylor sent a complaint about Duntsch to the Medical Board, according to Kirby. Young is portrayed in the dramatized series by actress Molly Griggs, who brings to life the couples volatile arguments, including onedepiction in whichYoung announcesshe is pregnant just months into their relationship to a less-than-thrilled Duntsch, played by former Dawsons Creek star Joshua Jackson. But as in many other areas in Texasbenzene pollution from hydraulic fracturing sites; ammonium nitrate pileups at fertilizer plantsMartins death and Summers paralysis fell into a regulatory no mans land. "I think its going to be like a floodgate thats going to really open, crying. He told Morgan that Young was just his secretary from Memphis, whose husband would be moving to the area soon, according to the podcast. Prior to her new position, she was the Senior News and Entertainment Editor for the brand, covering and editing all things in the entertainment, pop culture and celebrity world forGood Housekeeping. His daughter, Caitlin Martin-Linduff, was relieved and tearful to know Duntsch will never hurt anyone again. He has a job inside the prison. 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 Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. 5 years after 'Dr. Death,' doctors still come to Texas to leave pasts A poorly put-together case can mean months or years of expensive litigation. You know in the beginning he talked about marriage. Instead, Duntsch would find himself behind bars for life after botching more than 30 surgeriesresulting in the death of two patients and earning him the nickname Dr. None of this hurt his career. Dr. Christopher Duntsch's patients ended up maimed and dead, but the real tragedy is that the Texas Medical Board couldn't stop him. The patients mother complained to the Medical Board. Partners must notify. He went to the operating room and asked to speak to the doctor. In an official statement, she wrote, The way the lawis currently written, with a high bar of evidence for the board to meet, the process can take time so that the board can build a solid case. Kimberly Morgan is the former assistant and ex-girlfriend of Christopher Duntsch, nicknamed Dr Death. That veneer is how Duntsch was able to set up a practice in Dallas and obtain surgical privileges at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Plano, Texas. In January, one of his patients at University General Hospital Dallas woke up paralyzed from the waist down, according to the patients lawyer. His father, Don Duntsch, spoke with pride about how his son had once been one of the top authorities on stem cells and had done ground-breaking cancer research. At every step of the way, you would have to know the right thing to do so you could do the wrong thing, because he did all the wrong things.. 'Dr. Death': Who Are the Real People in the True-Crime Drama? - Newsweek The relationship between Duntsch and Morgan would come to an end after he leftBaylor Medical Center in Planoamidst criticism that he had botched multiple surgeries, including one that left a patient dead. [2] The division consists of two tiers within it: Premier Division A and Premier Division B. It is said to be rare for a physician to be indicted on several counts of aggravated assault stemming from events in an operating room. But a few years later, he popped up in Kermit doing just thatas well as selling drugs out of the operating room and performing bizarre surgeries he hadnt been trained for. Christopher Duntsch and Jerry Summers weren't only best friends - they took care of one another. Some drag on for years. For example, when Duntsch left Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano, the hospital provided a letter confirming there had been no "summary or administrative restrictions or suspensions," despite the fact that Duntsch had been suspended for 30 days following Summers's surgery. (Like other state licensing agenciesthe Pharmacy Board, the Nurse Practitioner Boardthe Medical Board operates at a surplus for the state.). It was that egregious. But more than anything, we don't get to know Christopher Duntsch. Brown was later found unresponsive in her hospital room and staff couldnt contact Duntsch for 90 minutes, according to those records. Dallas Medical Center also declined to comment, citing privacy concerns. According to his ex-girlfriend Wendy Young (played by Mollie Griggs in the show), Duntsch is in touch with his two sons. Kayla Keegan leads Good Housekeepings editorial growth strategies in the partnership, news, social, branded, membership and newsletter spaces. Unlike with Summers, though, he hadnt noticed in time, and Martin bled to death, according to Texas Medical Board records. I left with him and believed in him and then, you know, he just kind of fell apart.. (So far only Mary Efurd and the family of Floella Brown have filed suit against Duntsch, though the other patients or their families have all retained counsel as well.). Promotional materials distributed by your outlet, including all social media work, must include cites for the Observer and our reporter. And the only thing she complained about was she couldnt find what she wanted to watch on TV.. Of that set, two died and 31 were paralyzed or seriously injured. He was listed as a pre-business major, a university spokesperson confirmed Thursday. Speaking to Inside Edition, they called him "a snake in the grass," "a monster," "drug addict" and even "a psychopath.". Texas law states that hospitals are liable for damages caused by doctors in their facilities only if the plaintiff can prove that the hospital acted with malicethat is, the hospital knew of extreme risk and ignored itin credentialing a doctor. This has freed hospitals from the fear of litigation, but its also removed the financial motivation for policing their own physicians. At trial, prosecutors opted only to pursue the harming an elderly person charge connected to his failed surgery on MaryEfurd; however, other victims would also testify at trial. Kellie Martin and Floella Brown died. We felt confident too.. Dr. Duntsch's surviving surgery patients suffered a range of debilitating conditions, which ProPublica details: Permanent nerve damage, paralysis, loss of vocal cords. Dr. Death's Christopher Duntsch Is Now Serving a Life Sentence During the surgery, Duntsch sliced into one of the arteries running down Summers spine, causing massive bleeding, which he tried to staunch by packing coagulants around the wound. Later, when Duntsch moved to Dallas to begin his career as a neurosurgeon he took Summers with him. Over the course of 2012 and 2013, even as the Texas Medical Board and the hospitals he worked with received repeated complaints from a half-dozen doctors and lawyers begging them to take action, Duntsch continued to practice medicine. But the result is that unless a doctor is caught dealing drugs or sexually assaulting patientsor is convicted of a felonyit is difficult to get his or her license revoked. Another spinal fusion; another routine procedure. A 27-year-old Young had been working as a stripper in Memphis when she met Duntsch, then 40.

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