This is notably weird, considering Christopher Duntsch trained underDr. Boop, so you'd assume that theyoperated together as part of the whole learning surgery process. He wears a gray-and-black-striped uniform, not unlike a set of scrubs. The message alluded to a week where everything unraveled with their relationship. Young let him buy her an appletini, and they hit it off. I am ready to leave the love and kindness and goodness and patience that I mix with everything else that I am and become a cold blooded killer.. At this point, Im like freaking out, and I just, I leave.. I knocked on my door. She was a stay-at-home mom to their two children, Preston and Aiden; her income was tied to Duntschs. In February 2017, Duntsch, 50, was convicted of a first-degree felony for intentionally injuring an elderly victim. It was clear to anyone whos not a complete idiot that they were a thing, he says. Dont worry about it, he repeated. A veteran investigative reporter in the medical field, her voice enthralls. For Duntsch, the path into medicine was unconventional and, perhaps, a reflection of his tendency to fixate on unlikely goals. Kirby reported having direct knowledge of seven patients that Dr. We moved in together within three months, and then I became pregnant.. The disc was pressing on a nerve, which caused the pain. She had brown hair, parted near the middle, that fell just below her shoulders. Her body was in the Collin County Medical Examiners office in March 2012. Meanwhile, Duntsch was struggling financially and started racking up a series of strange arrests. It's thrilling if uncomfortable to listen. They numbed the pain radiating from his lower back, down each of his legs. During a deposition with Passmores lawyer, attorney James Girards, a woman named Megan Kane recalls Duntsch eating a paper blotter of LSD and taking prescription painkillers on his birthday in either 2006 or 2007. For years, hed focused on research. Photo: Lee Passmores friends and family heard him before they saw him. Armed with Baylors declaration that it never amended his privileges, Duntsch found work in four months. ( Source : instagram ) Young is also the mother of another child with her new boyfriend. For the last three days, jurors listened to testimony in the . Whatever happened, he was gone from Minimally Invasive Spine Institutebut not from Baylor Plano. She says he was prone to hyperbole, and, yeah, he had a questionable sense of humor. Was this a way of keeping the University of Tennessee's ranking up? He announced that he would be removing the ligament that separates the disc from the spinal canal. Hoyle became so disturbed by Duntsch's actions that at one point he physically restrained him. This led to another 20 patients suffering. He has a job inside the prison. He stayed at the University of Tennessee for his surgical residency, spending the standard five years on neurosurgery and one year learning general surgery. After this late-night party,Duntsch went to work the next morning. Also Read: Made For Love: Who Are Caleb Foote Parents? Duntsch then joined Dallas Medical Center. Wendy Renee Young met Duntsch at a bar in Memphis. But Duntsch soldiered on. Jackson stars as Christopher Duntsch, the titular nicknamed neurosurgeon, in Peacock's limited series based on the Wondery podcast of the same name (and of course the real-life former doctor's . Not a single doctor, surgeon, staff, or the pathologist of the autopsy every [sic] stated that I surgically caused vascular injury, he wrote. We certainly would not knowingly allow one person to compromise the level of quality care that we have worked so hard and invested so much to achieve for our patients and our community.. The procedure was routine and involved removing bone tissue in the spine to alleviate pressure on afflicted nerves. Unlike Baldwin, Slater takes on a more brash and quirky doctor role as Dr Kirby, though both work side by side to help reveal the truth about Duntsch's botched surgeries. is a beautiful and populous city located in Montana U.S. . While some called his eventual downfall greed-related, who knows what evil the human mind is capable of. The new true crime show, which comes out Thursday, tells the story of promising-turned-disgraced surgeon, Dr. Christopher Duntsch (played by Jackson), who was accused of maiming and killing his more than two dozed patients. Joshua Jackson stars as Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a twisted neurosurgeon who goes on a malpractice rampage in the halls of the hospitals that are inattentive and neglectful enough to employ him . "A few weeks later I took my first son to visit him for Christmas and then I became pregnant," Young said. Like, he wasnt scared. The Hippocratic Oath is sworn by all doctors and binds them to do no harm. She says she never saw him drunk or high or suffering from withdrawal symptoms. Wendy Renee Young is the mother of three children. Brown lost so much blood that the operating room team had to mop the floor with towels, all whileDuntschcomplained he couldn't see her spine to operate. However, in the Peacock series, the couple is parents to only one child. Passmore later discovered that, less than a week after his second surgery, Duntsch had operated on 45-year-old Barry Morguloff. Thats when we stumbled across the gap, Passmore says. Duntsch has maimed or killed. Hoyle, the surgeon who exposed the incision in Passmore, had also filed a complaint with the board. Duntsch's license was finally revoked in June 2013, after he had killed two patients and maimed 31 others. Because how can I do anything I want and cross every discipline boundary like its [sic] a playground and never ever lose., Duntsch also said he was prepared to embrace the very darkest part of himself. Now, one of the several complaints against the . Passmore later learned that a ligament in his leg had been severed. Duntsch made a major miscalculation when he ventured south into Dallas to practice. Was it you? Young said in the docuseries. The door opened and Young found Duntsch, who had earned the moniker Dr. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). It was pouring out of the epidural blood vessels and pooling in the disc space. She says she even filed a temporary protective order against him in April 2012, after he showed up banging on her window at 2 am. "Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story" and the scripted series "Dr. Death," starring Joshua Jackson, Alec Baldwin and Christian Slaterare both available to stream on Peacock now. In reality, he makes everything so, so much worse. And yet nearly all who met him said they liked him immediately. Many shake and tremble, some have unimaginable pain. But before he left, he happened to see a fax come in to the medical examiners office. Baylor calls the allegations against it extremely frustrating and difficult and reiterates that Duntsch came with references from multiple sources who worked with him in his residency and fellowship training programs., To put these misleading allegations into fair context, Baylor Plano is part of a hospital system that has made substantial investments over several decades to continuously enhance the quality of care we provide our patients, and we have gained many recognitions for these processes. But its the only way to get anybody to listen. Dallas Magazine statesthatDuntsch became key in supplying samples to scientists for research. But she smiles softly as she talks about those early days with Duntsch, when they were still learning about each others lives. In the two years he practiced as a spine surgeon across four Dallas institutions, Duntsch operated on 37 people. They would later have two children. In a video recording of her deposition, she fidgets often, angling her head to look at a jug of Stoli, shaking her head yes or no, furrowing her brow at some of the questions. Mary Efurd, 74, was to have two vertebrae fused, linked by a metal plate. The damage is irreversible. According to a police report obtained by The Texas Observer, Duntsch was captured on camera trying to steal $887 worth of merchandise, including pants, briefcases, cologne, watches and sun glasses. Likely due to Duntsch'sattemptto staunch the blood loss, Brown suffered a buildup of pressure in her brain. 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. Duntsch also received 40 percent of all revenue he generated beyond $800,000 each year. In one particularly disturbing episode, in March 2015, she said she arrived home to her front door had been locked with a deadbolt from the inside. The arrest report said he was driving on two flat tires. They eventually went back to his home, dancing to music under a disco ball he had in his office. Duntsch, again, maintains this wasnt true. Jurors convicted Duntsch Tuesday of injury to an elderly person in the botched July 2012 surgery that put Mary Efurd in a wheelchair. Soon though, red flags began to pop up. Its less than a millimeter from the spinal canal. Next week marks the five-year anniversary of Texas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch being sentenced to life in prison. Duntsch had a comfortable upbringing. I was just like Whatever, Im out of here, Young recalled. Meanwhile, Brown went brain dead and passed away. Quality Policy. Duntsch maintains that the practice didnt meet the promises it agreed to, and that it still owes him money. Duntsch had been suspended from operations . The first of these had been college football. Somebody knocks back and I am like Who in the f---is in my house, Young recalled in the four-part Peacock docuseries, (And if you want to dive even deeper into the story, you can also watch the scripted drama, on Peacock, starring Joshua Jackson, Alec Baldwin, and Christian Slater. As these cases became public record, rumors circulated of late-night partying leading into early-morning rounds, and whispers of drug and alcohol abuse became shouts. Prodigal Son actress Molly Griggs takes on the role of Wendy Young, who was Duntsch's girlfriend and is the mother of his kids. Texas tort reform laws cap the amount that patients can sue physicians for malpractice at $250,000. Christopher Duntsch has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. DR Death, Peacocks new limited series starring Joshua Jackson, is based on a true story, and we have your look at photos comparing the cast with their real-life counterparts. Suite 2100 In a long running series of complaints, a Texas doctor has been found guilty of a felony in one medical malpractice case. And this was 10 months before Duntsch's last surgery. On paper, the 40-year-old man who arrived in Dallas in the summer of 2011 was a completely different Christopher Duntsch than the one who was introduced to the public after more than a dozen. In March 2012, Duntsch performed alaminectomy on Kellie Martin to reduce her back pain after afallat home. Days after Duntsch returned, he was fired. But the media definitely played its part sending Dr. Death where he rightfully belongs, life in prison. While the show features the exes as the parents to one son, they had two kids together in real life. Morgan, in her deposition, said Duntsch called her to say he got lost going to the lab and never took the test. Patrick Clerkin, a longtime friend, stopped at the doorway with his two kids as well as Passmores 7- and 9-year-old girls. And when this podcast tells you all the gory details, you become that patient. We are committed to achieving this mission by delivering high-quality products that meet or exceed customer requirements. While staying with his parents outside Denver, he was stopped for driving under the influence. Duntsch allegedly performed the operation and flew out to Las Vegas without securing a call physician. Later, he filed for bankruptcy and moved in with his parents in Colorado. I thought he was either really, really good, or hes just really, really arrogant and thought he was good, Hoyle says now. They described him as the bright, precocious little boy who had taken. Jackson stars as Christopher Duntsch, the titular nicknamed neurosurgeon, in Peacock's limited series based on the Wondery podcast of the same name (and of course the real-life former doctor's. 11:15 PM on Mar 1, 2014 CST. His dad is a physical therapist. Boop told Henderson that Duntsch had been sent to an impaired physician program when he refused to take a drug test after an anonymous woman called to say she had seen him use cocaine, but he had been allowed to return to finish his residency. At first, Passmore didnt think much about the way Duntsch and his assistant, Kimberly Morgan, interacted. Her bright blond hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and shes wearing a tank top with yoga pants. Over the course of 18-months, the nefarious ex-surgeon performed a spree of botched. 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 the D Magazine. Duntsch moved to Colorado to live with his parents, while Young stayed behind in Dallas with the couple's son. Sort of. The encounter was just one of a series of troubling incidents after Duntschwho once referred to himself as a mixture of God, Einstein and the Antichristlost his medical license in December of 2013 for leaving numerouspatients either maimed, in agonizing chronic pain, or, in two cases, dead. Lawsuits can cost hospitals millions of dollars and lost credibility, making it easier just tofire the offending doctor. Young and Duntsch have two sons. He rode the desk until he couldnt, when things in the county got too busy and all the examiners were required to take calls away from the office to cover the 200-odd scene visits. In addition, he began to experience random fainting episodes andcomplex regional pain syndrome, a rare nervous system disorder causing skin blistersthat then slough off, as well as chronic pain and skin sensitivity. At morning meetings, Page would see Duntsch mixing a vodka orange. Slater is also known for his roles in Mr. But the same law also helps these very hospitals in keeping doctor credentials confidential. Wendy Renee Young says she met Duntsch in 2011 at the Beauty Shopin Memphis, a bar and restaurant that borrowed its shtick from its past life as a curl-and-dye shop owned by Elvis Presleys ex-wife. Yet, instead of saving lives and using his knowledge for good, the opposite happened. Duntsch also said he was prepared to embrace the very darkest part of himself. She was deposed over Skype since, at the time, she was stationed with the Air Force in the Middle East. He said, "What I am being is what I am, one of kind, a mother f****r stone cold killer that can buy or own or steal or ruin or build whatever he wants.". They listened, judged and found Duntsch guilty, and sentenced him to life in prison, reports USA Today. There were two names on the top page: Kellie Martin and Christopher Duntsch. In a statement, the hospital said it cooperated with the Texas Medical Board when asked, and did not file its own complaint because it was aware someone else already had. His right leg is as stiff as his pressed blue jeans, and when he walks, he appears to use his hips to heave it forward. On Jan. 10, 2014, Denver police arrested him for driving under the influence. The arrest report says that he was driving on two flat tires, and one was completely gone and was on the rim. Officers found an empty bottle of Mikes Hard Lemonade on the floorboard and a full one in the console. But patient advocates and the surgeons that mobilized to rid him of his license say that Duntsch was the perfect storm. According to his lawyer, Duntsch was a scapegoat. Death: The Undoctored Story, available to stream now. Duntsch pleaded not guilty. It is during this period that Duntschs carefully built faade began showing its first cracks. But then came that fax, and he saw Duntschs name next to Kellie Martins. To fellow surgeon Mark Hoyle, he said, "Everybody's doing it wrong. Young said Duntschfollowed her and told her he could explain the bizarre scene. Base compensation was $600,000 a year for two years, beginning on June 14, 2011. They'd requested an investigation into his matter, deeming him to be a threat to the general public. That venue is a civil or federal jury trial, and I would accept that if it gave the way forward to disclose, remedy, address what happened at DMC with these patients., Henderson, like Passmore, began his own investigation. What turned Dr. Christopher Duntsch into Dr. Death? After his license was revoked from the Texas Medical Board, Young and Duntsch were evicted from their home. Dr. Death is now also going to be a TV show with Christian Slater and Alec Baldwin playing main roles. But for his victims, the judgment was a big relief. He said somebody had been there and they had hit him on the head, she said. Im the only clean minimally invasive guy in the whole state. Thats according to Dr. Mark Hoyle, who was the general surgeon during Passmores surgery. The couple had two children together. That July, Duntsch was firing off panicked emails to his business partners at 4 am on a Monday morning: My reputation has been ruined, he wrote. Peacock's new grisly drama tells the real-life story of Dallas-area neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, who killed or maimed more than 30 patients in the 2010s. Hes jailed on a $600,000 bond, and his trial is set for January 31, 2017. Preston was born in September 2014 while she was living with her sister in Garland, Texas. Since receiving his life sentence, Dr Death is currently housed in the O.B. A neurosurgeon reviewing the case for the court found an errant screw had not only opened Brown's arterybut blocked it, and that Duntsch hadmisdiagnosed Brown, operating on the wrong area entirely. But Young said Duntsch wasnt happy at the news of another baby and the couple got into a heated argument, during which Duntsch admitted to seeing other women. His CV proclaims that he earned a doctorate in microbiology from the prestigious St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, graduating summa cum laude. Brings new meaning to the phrase Sunday Funday. There was Duntschs childhood friend, Jerry Summers, who woke up from a procedure unable to move his arms and legs. The original patent still holds, and hopefully, Discgenics would be able to break out of the Dr. Death shadow todo some real anti-cancer work instead. Later, attorneys would sit on the stairwell of her Skillman Street apartment. His screams poured out of Baylor Planos intensive care unit and down the hallway, creating a panic in his mother. Duntsch landed in jail on a $600,000 bond and waited for the trial to begin. Dr. He wasnt paranoid. Nerve pain now fires through his back, the result of a screw lodged in a nerve bundle. And of course, there are many in the medical field who go above and beyond the call of duty. He was taller than 6 feet, with a stubby nose and neatly cropped hair above bright blue eyes, and he had crafted a strategy that endeared him to patients and to referring physicians: Im the best, hed tell them. At that point, the administration revoked his privileges. Baylor asked him to resign immediately. Unfortunately, Martin and Brown were not alive to tell their tale. He was a phenomenal partner right up until the pandemic hit and we got shut down. Then he also took prescription painkillers and ate a paper blotter of LSD. When he stepped off the bed for the first time after surgery, the feeling on the bottom of his feet had vanished. It still feels as if his feet are asleep. Duntsch was described asa precocious boy and a bright student. Duntsch filed for bankruptcy and was arrested in Denver for driving under the influence on Jan. 10, 2014, according to local station KCNC-TV. He went back to the sourcethe University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She was dancing at a strip club then, and Duntschs business problems were growing more severe. I thought is this somebody that youve pissed off? The hospital called Rimlawi when it couldnt reach his colleague. and a Ph.D. This could be path-breaking in the future ofcancer treatment andDr. Duntsch sniffed out the opportunity right away. Duntsch contends the patient was just trying to get painkillers. He wrote, "You will not find a harder working or more willing individual." I didnt really know how to feel anymore, but while he was out in Colorado we kept in contact.. On paper, the 40-year-old man who arrived in Dallas in the summer of 2011 was a completely different Christopher Duntsch than the one who was introduced to the public after more than a dozen allegations of severely botched surgeries. We talked about marriage pretty quickly. Duntsch'sfinal patient, Jeffrey Glidewell, entered the operating room in2013 to undergo minimally invasive surgery to fix his long-term neck pain. His mom was a teacher. I am ready to leave the love and kindness and goodness and patience that I mix with everything else that I am and become a cold blooded killer. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. are both available to stream on Peacock now. He later told Duntsch to his face that he was dangerous. Duntsch declined a jailhouse interview, but he has called the allegations preposterous. And what stops another physicianfrom turning into the next Dr. Death? Seven more doctors voiced complaints before TMB finally canceled Dr. Death's license. He did earnhis M.D., doing so well that he was among the 12 percent of medical school graduates in his class named to the elite Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. But the unexpected reunion wasnt a happy one. But thats all. Dr. Death might not have cared about being a surgeon, just the prestige that came with it. Britney Spears claims she was 'scared of drunk dad Jamie' & family 'abandoned her to stay in beach house SHE bought', RHOBH's Erika Jayne breaks down in tears & admits she's 'lonely' after friends 'turned on her' when she went 'broke', Kendall Jenner stuns in an all-black gothic look for glam new photoshoot, Russell Brand defends his dog after pooch mauled wallaby to death on walk, Why odd double act Kim Kardashian and Kate Moss are in fact a perfect match, Teen Mom Leah Messer shows stretch marks on tummy after giving birth to three kids & reveals if she'll get a tummy tuck, Duntsch, 50, was convicted of a first-degree felony. Dallas, Texas 75201. Copyright 2023, D Magazine Partners, Inc. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. According to Dallas Magazine, a woman named Megan Kane remembered how Duntsch partied with her onhis birthday. Dallas surgeon Randall Kirby says his former colleague, Dr. Christopher Duntsch, managed to commit crimes so heinous that patients everywhere are still struck by fear when they hear about the case . A few months after the shoplifting arrest, Duntsch was charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault and injuring an elderly person for the damage he did on the operating table. St. Jude refuted this by saying there was no such program there at that time. The thing is, if you dont push this, with everybody else settling, theyre getting away with it again., 750 North St.Paul St.