Duntsch soon appeared and tried to calm them, assuring them that Passmore would be fine in one or two days. But as Duntsch worked, Hoyle looked over and saw blood and not much else. But hospital after hospital passed the buck. We are committed to achieving this mission by delivering high-quality products that meet or exceed customer requirements. His screams poured out of Baylor Planos intensive care unit and down the hallway, creating a panic in his mother. And so shes here, in a Christian coffee shop tucked into a corner of the town square of Springtown, west of Fort Worth, where she lives with her new boyfriends parents. The eight-part series tells the harrowing true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch who, across two years, injured 32 of his 38 patients. 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 . Young was 27 when they met; Duntsch was 40. AnnaSophia Robb, 27, portrays Michelle Shughart, the assistant district attorney on Dr. Death's case. They eventually went back to his home, dancing to music under a disco ball he had in his office. Robot, True Romance, Very Bad Things, and Robot Chicken. We moved in together within three months, and then I became pregnant.. But the media definitely played its part sending Dr. Death where he rightfully belongs, life in prison. The Staircase (The O.G.). Young elaborated in a 2016 D Magazine story on Duntschs troubled career that Duntsch told her his attacker had been an investigator hired by an attorney representing his angry patients, but that account was never verified. James Gunn has used the 'Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special' as a "trojan horse" to introduce some elements of the upcoming third film in the series.The 40-minute holiday special features Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis' (Pom Klementieff) bid to help Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) rediscover his love of the festive season, but the director admitted the one-off Disney+ feature His license gone, Duntsch went off the rails. He wanted to find who Duntsch trained under, who his supervisors were. At this point, Ive had enough and so I called the police.. Or was Duntsch just good at hiding his true self? The arrest report said he was driving on two flat tires. NovoStem Therapeutics, which attempted to monetize the cancer stem cell discovery, failed after taking a funding hit during the 2008 recession. Then it just started to all unravel.. In Dallas, Duntsch developed a reputation of frequenting upscale bars and hotels where he partied with his lifelong best friend and personal assistant, Jerry Summers. It had come from Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano. Nerve pain now fires through his back, the result of a screw lodged in a nerve bundle. Meanwhile, his patients kept suffering, and dying, in his OR. In February 2017, Duntsch, 50, was convicted of a first-degree felony for intentionally injuring an elderly victim. He wasnt paranoid. Around that same time, Duntschs behavior was becoming erratic. And yet they occurred in Duntschs operating rooms over a period of just two years. Enjoy unlimited access to all of our incredible journalism, in print and digital. He later told Duntsch to his face that he was dangerous. What isscarierare the 12 names that follow his. The Dallas County DA, along with fighting against these very laws, was also running out of time. On Jan. 10, 2014, Denver police arrested him for driving under the influence. He kept her on after splitting from Rimlawi and Won. This very friend would later end up a quadriplegic under Duntsch's weapon of a scalpel. He was born in Montana, but his family settled in a suburb east of Memphis where the median household income is about $30,000 higher than the rest of the country. Will it help patients protect their rights? Sort of. The evidence said otherwise. He harmed the very people who trusted him. She needed drug tests. Christopher Duntsch Early Life Story, Family Background and Education. But then he gave Passmore the card of a neurosurgeon named Christopher Duntsch. Was it you? Young said in the docuseries. According to court filings, he was supposed to be overseen by an attending physician in the operating room; this allegedly was not adhered to, either. It got to be too much. She says she never saw him drunk or high or suffering from withdrawal symptoms. Shes 33 now and doesnt live in Dallas anymore. Then he also took prescription painkillers and ate a paper blotter of LSD. After Summers procedure, Morgan says Duntsch was not allowed to operate at Baylor Plano until March 2012. She was deposed over Skype since, at the time, she was stationed with the Air Force in the Middle East. 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. Duntschmade the incision in the wrong place before nicking a vertebral artery, confusing the muscles in Glidewell's neck for a tumor, cutting into his vocal cords, and removing a piece of hisesophagus. On July 1, 2011, Duntsch and Baylor Plano agreed to an inducement deal. Duntsch also received 40 percent of all revenue he generated beyond $800,000 each year. All we can say ishes fine.. And when this podcast tells you all the gory details, you become that patient. Duntschs patient outcomes would draw lots of attention over the years. Dr. Duntsch eventually began a long-term romantic relationship with Wendy Renee Young while in Memphis. Talking to the Dallas Morning News in 2014, Duntsch said he provided the test and was clean. The nerve root had been amputated. Brown had a massive stroke overnight that left her in a vegetative state, and her family chose to remove life support days later. When he finally came to the hospital, he busied himself with another patient, also on the DA's list, Mary Efurd. According to his lawsuit, Morguloff wound up with searing pain in his back and left leg from bone fragments lodged in his spinal canal during the operation, which were only discovered eight months later when he sought a second opinion. Passmore says the space above a disc in his lower spine had been blown out in the first surgery, and Duntsch returned to pick out the pieces. Christopher Duntsch, Known As Dr. Death, Maimed His Patients Through Routine Back Surgery. Duntsch maintains that the practice didnt meet the promises it agreed to, and that it still owes him money. In a long running series of complaints, a Texas doctor has been found guilty of a felony in one medical malpractice case. Instead, he thought about all those years he spent working and educating himself, all those years of paying bills on time to keep his credit high, of saving money to support his family. Passmore later discovered that, less than a week after his second surgery, Duntsch had operated on 45-year-old Barry Morguloff. He discovered a significant esophageal injury that belabored Glidewells breathing and found a sponge that had been left in the soft tissue of his neck. Christopher Duntsch, once a supremely confident neurosurgeon with a solid rsum and a wealth of potential, fled town in disgrace last year under a scalding cascade . She suffered a massive posterior circulation stroke and was transferred to UT Southwestern Medical Center. It might be Baylor, it might be somebody down in Austin, it might be somebody somewhere, but its the only way you can get your voice out there. According to Dallas Magazine, Dr. Christopher Duntsch talked a big game. Surprisingly, his superiors at The University of Tennessee also gave him glowing reviews. For Duntsch, the path into medicine was unconventional and, perhaps, a reflection of his tendency to fixate on unlikely goals. Prodigal Son actress Molly Griggs takes on the role of Wendy Young, who was Duntsch's girlfriend and is the mother of his kids. Christopher Duntsch, aka Dr Death / Joshua Jackson 6 Toby Shook, a Dallas defense attorney, gave a statement toDallas Magazine:"I cannot recall a physician being indicted for aggravated assault for acts committed during surgery. Duntsch has a court date next month for the shoplifting case along with the unrelated matter of a criminal trespass complaint filed against him last fall. After this late-night party,Duntsch went to work the next morning. They would later have two children. Young puts Morgan there, too, although Morgan denied it in her deposition. She worked with Dr Henderson and Dr Kirby to bring Duntsch to justice, talking to everyone from his life, both from after he became a doctor and from when he was still training to be one. In September, according to police reports . The disc was pressing on a nerve, which caused the pain. The statute of limitations made them base their case on only six victims. She was dancing at a strip club then, and Duntschs business problems were growing more severe. He struggles with incontinence. Passmore is still fighting. ), The door opened and Young found Duntsch, who had earned the moniker, 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 Antichrist, Photo: Morgan was present in the operating room during Passmores surgery. The shocking story of a madman with a scalpel. Dr. Christopher Duntsch, better known as Doctor Death, is serving a life sentence at a Texas prison today. According to his lawyer, Duntsch was a scapegoat. I knocked on my door. She also says they snorted cocaine from a small pile that he kept on a dresser in his home office. In real life, after helping the ADA Michelle Shughart send Duntsch to jail, Dr Henderson continues to practice medicine in Texas. He was the eldest of four. 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. Dallas most important news stories of the week, delivered to your inbox each Sunday. Duntschs legal woes were only just beginning. You'd think that a surgeon who was this bad would have some mud spattered on him on the internet. Like, he wasnt scared. Base compensation was $600,000 a year for two years, beginning on June 14, 2011. Who else is left? A longtime field agent for the Collin County Medical Examiner, Passmore needed knowledge from his training at scenes. Duntsch declined a jailhouse interview, but he has called the allegations preposterous. are both available to stream on Peacock now. The message alluded to a week where everything unraveled with their relationship. While staying with his parents outside Denver, he was stopped for driving under the influence. What made him cause damage, trauma and even death to his patients? I still dont know the answer.. This would be the first and last time Hoyle worked next to Duntsch. A grand jury returned five indictments of aggravated assault and one of harming an elderly person. But Duntsch kept going, as if he were fishing in a pond at night, saying he was working by feel, not sight. Whatever Duntsch set out to be when he first donned that white coat, being a media sensation for all the wrong reasons may not have been his goal. They listened, judged and found Duntsch guilty, and sentenced him to life in prison, reports USA Today. I have lost both companies. He would file for bankruptcy years later, and the filings show that Duntsch has had no managerial role with Discgenics since 2012, when he was removed as a board member and as chief science officer. Famously known by the Family name Christopher Daniel Duntsch, is a great neurosurgeon and convicted criminal for malpractice.He was born on April 3, 1971, in Montana. Like Dr Henderson, Dr Kirby is still a practicing doctor in real life. Duntsch had a comfortable upbringing. This way, no one recognizes them as the inventors. Nobody stopped him soon enough. Rohr is a very professional man, Passmore says. Christopher Duntsch has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. I dont have Facebook, I dont Myspace. Duntsch could have turned it into something good and meaningful. He hadnt seen it with his own eyes. Jurors convicted Duntsch Tuesday of injury to an elderly person in the botched July 2012 surgery that put Mary Efurd in a wheelchair. According to Dallas Magazine, a woman named Megan Kane remembered how Duntsch partied with her onhis birthday. Duntsch grew up in a middle-class family. 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. He wasn't concerned about the drugs in his system while he did his rounds. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Passmore also learned about Kenneth Fennell, a 68-year-old who alleged in a lawsuit that, during a November procedure, Duntsch operated on the wrong body part. This could be path-breaking in the future ofcancer treatment andDr. Duntsch sniffed out the opportunity right away. Christopher Duntsch, aka Dr. Death, a former Texas-based neurosurgeon, maimed dozens of his victims and killed at least two. In July 2015, he was indicted by a Dallas County grand jury on six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (his hands and surgical tools). The two broke up in 2014, at which time Wendy was pregnant with their second child. What turned Dr. Christopher Duntsch into Dr. Death? I have taken one selfie in my lifeon a dare. Kane dated Summers for a year. Somebody knocks back and I am like Who in the f---is in my house, Young recalled in the four-part Peacock docuseries Dr. In fact, he went on to work at two more hospitals. If he could do 50Shades of Grey and some scandalous modeling, playing a menacing Dr. Death should be a piece of cake, right? I look at my children, I felt like, How am I gonna explain this to them?. Duntsch moved to Colorado to live with his parents, while Young stayed behind in Dallas with the couple's son. St. Jude refuted this by saying there was no such program there at that time. Around May 2013, Henderson got a call from Foley, the fellowship supervisor. It was the invention of me and my wife, because we made all primary experiments. The doctor in the strange case is now 50 years old. At Health Grades Duntsch had 4.3 out of 5 stars, "above [the] national average." But on January 6, 2012, a week after the surgery, Duntsch went back in. Its hard to find good conversation with a random person, Young says. The intended 45-minute procedure stretched over an hour before Duntsch finally emerged and told Mayfield's wife the surgery was a success. In April 2012, just over four months removed from that initial surgery, Passmore returned to work. I dont want my name out there. There were multiple screw holes nowhere near where they were supposed to be, and a screw had been lodged in another nerve root near the bottom of the spine. Henderson actually checked if Duntsch was a real doctor with The University of Tennessee, appalled at the damage to Efurd's spine. He seemed really distraught and I was scared, she said of the father of her two children. That was the same month the two started having sex. Even the hospitals that he worked for kept enabling him, according to a report by the Dallas County prosecutors. Why else would his daughter have sent Duntsch a card thanking him? I thought he was either really, really good, or hes just really, really arrogant and thought he was good, Hoyle says now. Young said Duntschfollowed her and told her he could explain the bizarre scene. He met Duntsch that day in the physician lounge at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano, where the operation occurred. She had family in Dallas and decided shed go with him if he chose that city. Don tried to convince the jury that his son cared for his patients. And who will Dr. Death be? Christopher Daniel Duntsch was born in Montana on April 3, 1971, and raised alongside his three siblings in an affluent suburb of Memphis, Tennessee. Was this a way of keeping the University of Tennessee's ranking up? Duntschs reputation took another dive in April of 2015 when he was arrested for shoplifting at a local Walmart. 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. (Neither responded to requests for comment for this story.) 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Joshua Jackson (right) portrays Christopher Duntsch, aka Dr Death, on the new Peacock limited series, Alec Baldwin (right) plays Dr Robert Henderson, The role of Dr Randall Kirby is portrayed by Christian Slater (right), Credit: Dallas Surgical Specialists/ Barbara Nitke/Peacock, AnnaSophia Robb (right) takes on the role of Michelle Shughart, Dominic Burgess (right) is Jerry Summers on the series, Molly Griggs (right) portrays Wendy Young on Dr Death, Dr Death - Trailer for the Peacock series based on the true story of Christopher Duntsch, Dr Death cast vs real people See photos of Christopher Duntsch, Michelle Shughart & more. Duntsch did his surgical residency at The University of Tennessee. He decided to turn to clinical work. In actuality, Duntschhad severely deformed Mayfield's spinal column and left him immobilized from mid-chest down to his toes. In the months following his surgery, Passmore focused on recovery and getting back to work. The seeds of greed were sown. Martin paid with her lifebecause her doctor was too proud to say he screwed up. Christopher Duntsch, now known as "Dr. Death," had his medical license revoked in 2013 (more on that below), per Pro Publica.He subsequently moved back in with his parents in Colorado and was . There is no way to communicate what happened there, without a 20-page document of disclosures and events and responsible parties, Duntsch once wrote of Brown and Efurd. After his license was revoked from the Texas Medical Board, Young and Duntsch were evicted from their home. But Dr. William Rohr did editorialize in his conclusion: The collection of blood was most likely the result of a therapeutic misadventure. Duntsch blames the death on an allergy to fentanyl, a powerful narcotic often used in intubation. Unequivocally, testified an expert witness, a neurosurgeon should stop practicing after incurring multiple patient deaths and severe outcomes. She enlisted Duntsch to help fix it. So, I went back to Dallas. He wrote grants and secured more than $3 million in funding. He was shocked at the CT scan: the spinal fusion hardware sat in her soft tissue. There Duntsch secured a job as a minimally invasive spine surgeon at. 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). His mother, Susan, taught school. As one lawyer told me off the record, they faced an almost impossible dilemma: settle and give their families a financial cushion for the future medical costs but sacrifice their right to tell their stories. No autopsy was done (at the familys request) but it is well-documented that the stroke was due to a left vertebral artery injury due to Dr. Duntschs horrendous surgical technique, wrote surgeon Randall Kirby in a letter to the Texas Medical Board. Around this time, Drs. There are some who believe that he never wanted to be in the ORat all. He was the first surgeon to do so, but not the last. 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 . Through his career, reports of him doing rounds under the influence were commonplace. When he finally turned up again, he was made to attended a program for impaired physicians. He also vibrateshis chest shakes, his right hand jitters. Beil is a journalist who has specialized in science and medical writing for 20 years, and lives in the Dallas area where much of Christopher Duntsch's story takes place. Duntsch contends the patient was just trying to get painkillers. To add to this, his so-called Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center may also be dubious. 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. Slater is also known for his roles in Mr. 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. At The University of Tennessee, his supervisors were also investors in Duntsch's company, Discgenics. Thats dangerouseven that attitude is dangerous. Duntsch relented, allowing Hoyle to move in, stop the bleeding, and clean out the wound. 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. Don tried to convince the jury that his son cared for his patients. Six weeks after her death on March 12, 2012, the medical examiner ruled her fate an accident. Kukekov and Ignatova say Duntsch took more credit than he deserved for the discoveries. They numbed the pain radiating from his lower back, down each of his legs. Hoyles job was to cut Passmore open and sew him up, and on December 30, 2011, he made a small incision just above the 36-year-olds groin and moved the blood vessels and organs out of the way, allowing Duntsch clear access to the lower spine to remove a herniated disc. It said, Anyone close to me thinks that I likely am something between god, einstein, and the antichrist. Christopher Duntsch, 44, faces up to life in prison if convicted. Take the case of Dr. Death, aka Dr. Christopher Duntsch. He told Morgan that Young, who was pregnant at the time with their first son, was his close friend and secretary. Many shake and tremble, some have unimaginable pain. He was ultimately convicted of injuring an elderly person in connection with Mary Efurds case and was sentenced to life behind bars. Philip is one of more than 30 people maimed by Dr. Christopher Duntsch, nicknamed Dr. Death by the media. He was the oldest of fourhe has two brothers, Nathan and Matt, and a sister, Lizand attended a private high school. He thought about how all that might have been stolen from him in a matter of hours. Attorney James Girards was representing Lee Passmore, one of Duntsch's victims and reached out to her. There was a dissection of one patients esophagus, and screws that an indictment labeled far too long that caused significant blood loss in another patient. In many ways, Morgan was the opposite of Young. 1. I cant write on this form, Oh, by the way, I heard from Dr. Henderson about what sounds like major patient issues that you ought to look into, Foley said in the call. When Mary Efurd could no longer walk, Dallas Medical Center called in Dr. Henderson to salvage the botched surgery. 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 police say an email Duntsch wrote in 2011 points to his mind-set in the months before he "intentionally, knowingly and . 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. Dawsons Creek heartthrob Jackson stars as the titular character of Dr Death, which ended up becoming Duntschs nickname after the accusations came out. Soon though, red flags began to pop up. Young lived there, too, and she says Morgan was a frequent visitor. But the same law also helps these very hospitals in keeping doctor credentials confidential. Their trysts were largely confined to his office at Baylor Plano, the same place where, she said in her deposition, he often drank vodka and did research after hours. Robb is known for her roles as Bethany Hamilton in Soul Surfer, Lacey in The Act, and Violet Beauregarde in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He secured investments in Discgenics from local spine surgeons, including Robertson and Dr. Kevin Foley, a prominent Memphis neurosurgeon under whom Duntsch would spend a year training as part of a minimally invasive spine surgery fellowship at the Semmes-Murphey Clinic, one of the largest neurosurgery practices in the United States. According to court documents, Rimlawi soon grew suspicious of Duntsch. Patrick Clerkin, a longtime friend, stopped at the doorway with his two kids as well as Passmores 7- and 9-year-old girls. After his arrest, he still had those loving parents. Photo: He didnt not want to. The evidence said otherwise. I cannot recall a physician being indicted for aggravated assault for acts committed during surgery, says Toby Shook, a Dallas defense attorney who spent 23 years working as a Dallas County prosecutor. Many readers may recognize the name Christopher Duntsch, a doctor who allegedly was negligent in his practice for years before finally being stripped of his medical license. While the school refused to verify or deny his claims, he wasn't in any of the yearbooks of that time. Anton Floquet/NBCUniversal, I knocked on my door. To become a neurosurgeon, one typically has to complete over 1000 surgeries in residency, but somehow, reporter Laura Beil discovered that Duntsch only completed 100. Creating cells from a culture would eliminate the need for human extraction; there was huge potential upside.