According to Megan Kane, an ex-girlfriend of one of Duntschs friends, she saw him eat a paper blotter of LSD and take prescription painkillers on his birthday. Was a Dallas Surgeon Stoned When He Maimed His Patients?Surgery is scary enough, but when you hear what happened to some people it may seem downright terrifying. And then on top of that, you have the systemic side of the medical system that ultimately failed in stopping him. And I had none of those things. From 2011 to 2013, dozens of patients in the Dallas area woke up after their surgeries with horrible pain, numbness and, paralysis. KEEP READING: 'Dr. They did a lot of cutting to my script, because Im used to print where you can put a few more details in, and you can have a little more have other characters, or other names, or other information in, because when you are reading, if you miss it, you can just go back and check. He is currently housed in the O.B. ", "You, my child, are the only one between me and the other side. Naomi is an enterprise/ investigative reporter who has covered Dallas County government, Parkland Memorial Hospital, juvenile detention and the county jail. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. JACKSON: Well, yeah, it gives you a healthy skepticism. His first drug of choice would be cocaine.. Did you talk a lot about how gory to make the surgeries? Floella Brown went under Dr. Death's knife in July 2012 and shortly after her surgery, she suffered a massive stroke caused by Duntsch slicing her vertebral artery during surgery. The Peacock limited series Dr. Death is in many ways much more a horror story than a drama, but the villain at its center is all too real. Had he explored his research and stayed in that lane and never gone to operate, we'd be talking about him in an entirely different fashion today. Creator/Executive Producer Patrick Macmanus (Homecoming, Happy) knew he had a ready-made hit in Dr. Death when he first learned the story of Christopher Duntsch, the Texas neurosurgeon who permanently maimed and killed patients during routine procedures. Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, and director Rob Marshall share the tale behind making their underwater musical with a groundbreaking Disney princess. Duntsch had his surgical rights temporarily suspended after his botched surgery on Summers and his first patient back was 55-year-old Kellie Martin. . Joshua Jackson as Christopher Duntsch in 'Dr. I wanted to talk to his father, and his father indicated that he did want to, but his appellate attorney wouldnt allow that for reasons that I dont understand. My wife laughs at me all the time about it. And also, to let the tape tell as much of the story as possible. He was then brought on board at the Dallas Medical Center where he continued his carnage. How much do you think that affected Duntschs decision to become a neurosurgeon in the first place? The question of how Duntsch was able to operate with impunity for so longwhen surrounded by many people who tried to raise the alarm and faileddrives Dr. Death, which jumps across time in each episode to show what the doctor was like as a young man, friend and medical student, and then later as a surgeon, a partner and a father. The Christopher Duntsch Surgery That Was So Bad One Doctor Called It 'Attempted Murder'. Dr. Death season one review: a true crime podcast is even scarier - Vox Determined to play football for a Division I college team, Duntsch dedicated himself to training while in high school. Duntsch is a former Dallas neurosurgeon who, through . Dr. Death is not a show that you should consider watching right before your next trip to the doctor's office. Was there anything that was particularly hard not to include? After a fall in her kitchen, Martin experienced chronic back pain and sought out surgery to alleviate it. 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. But the actuality is, is that these hospitals will protect themselves. Victim of Real-Life 'Dr. Death' Believes There Are Others Like Him Out How much of a gift was it to have characters like the ones Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater play, to basically serve as protagonists? I kind of wanted there to be three hours more of that, but when I was listening to it with some friends, they were putting their hands over their heads and saying No, no, no! They never turned it off though, which I think is telling, but it seemed like they were having a hard time listening. And from that, it became apparent that the story is really about our healthcare system. Two patients died from his actions and many more suffered permanent injuries, including his best friend, who left Duntsch's operating room paralyzed. White men also have stories to tell. I didnt take them as funny, I took them as really creepy though. JACKSON: We were bouncing between time periods a lot. When he woke up, he was a quadriplegic with incomplete paralysis. Philip Mayfield, one of Christopher Duntsch's patients, who was paralyzed after his surgery. "Dr. Death" Memphis victim dies years after botched surgery And I dont know that he really ever even wanted to be a neurosurgeon. After several more months of botched surgeries, Duntsch finally lost his surgical privileges altogether in June 2013 after two physicians complained to the Texas Medical Board. Tulsa Hospital Shooting Suspect Was a Patient Who Had Recent Back Surgery and Targeted His Doctor: Cops, One Brother Was a Hero, One Was a Serial Killer: New Docuseries Explores the Stayner Family's Plight. But theres one lucky person who escaped, you know? He performed only one surgery with the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute. Death' Review: Joshua Jackson Is Terrific in Terrifying Peacock Series That's as Sharp as a Scalpel, 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' Characters Ranked by Likeability, 10 Sitcoms With Content That Hasn't Aged Well, 'Baby J' Doesn't Show Us the Real John Mulaney and That's a Good Thing. The True Story Of Christopher Duntsch, The Killer Surgeon Known As Dr. No one but Christopher Duntsch can know exactly what hewas thinkingwhen the. When we are alone, my love for you will let you do so because that is your nature. Duntsch was offered a $600,000 advance and a temporary suite in a luxury hotel to come to Dallas while the couple searched for a new home in Plano, according to a 2018 "Dr. Death" podcast, which inspired the Peacock series. Based on true events, as documented in the Wondery podcast, the series stars Joshua Jackson as Christopher Duntsch, a Texas physician who repeatedly crippled or killed patients in his care through surgeries which were either grossly incompetent or malicious. Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville,Texas. Well, it was familiar content-wise because Im a medical reporter, so Ive never covered anything else. Death': "He Thinks He's the Hero of This Story", So when it comes to the question of how he was able to get away with it for so long, that involves a lot of breaking down the administrative and legal aspects that keep a doctor like him in a position of doctoring. Because neurosurgeons, they bring in a lot of money for their institution. And by bringing him into the center portion of the story, you essentially are asking the audience to have compassion or empathy for him, to understand him. Scheduling just got in the way there. There was one. The 50 greatest TV and movie detectives of all time. Duntsch, 44, is being held inthe Dallas County Jail on $600,000 bail on charges involving the death of one patient and the injuring of four others. They were trying to process the horror that was Christopher Duntsch as they were going along, because they couldn't answer the question that we began with: "Why does he do what he did?" The podcast is also becoming the go-to medium for in-depth profiles of fascinating sociopaths, allowing us to marvel at the sheer breadth of human behavior as we go about our mundane daily drive to work or do chores around the house. Magazines, Digital Thats why we have these hours and hours of tape, but that said, there are a few fundamentals that were wrong. After this look at Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. And the fact that the system failed doesnt absolve him of the responsibility of what he did, and I want to make that clear. Dr. Death executive producer explains how Christopher Duntsch could Death. Kirby, who called the operation an attempted murder, and Henderson, both annoyed by the slow pace of the states investigation, ramped up their efforts to strip Duntsch of his practicing rights. How did this happen? Before that, Naomi was a criminal justice reporter in Dallas, New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Its hard for me to pinpoint any one thing, because it was so many things. Read the crime and public safety news your neighbors are talking about. 'Sociopath' Surgeon Duntsch Arrested for Shoplifting Pants Per the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Duntsch will be eligible for parole on July 20, 2045, when he is 74 years old. Before working with him, Dr. Hoyle said that he didnt know how to feel about his fellow surgeon. JACKSON: Well, it's not. In the doc, Jerry, who died in February from an infection connected to the botched surgery Christopher performed on him in 2011, gave an interview about their friendship and the operation that eventually led to his death. The first operation he conducted in this capacity was to fix a womans compressed nerveduring the surgery, he cut an important vessel in the womans spinal cord and she bled to death. Life After "Death": Lethal Surgeon Sentenced to PrisonWATCH NEXT: Former patient of Dr. Duntsch discusses botched surgery (1 of 5) https://youtu.be/9JwAnjnDs. Hes cutting arteries. And that wasnt a manufactured thing. So, we've taken steps and that's good, but I think it's a totally valid thing to ask because we're not there yet. Duntsch declined a reporter's request for a jailhouse interview Tuesday. Christopher Duntsch was just a regular guy who became Dr. Death after he decided to be a neurosurgeon. The Texas Medical Board began receiving official reports about Duntsch following the botched procedures at Dallas Medical Center, as multiple doctors began sending in complaints. No. I would say that he and I both were cokeheads. Their efforts to stop him, as documented both in the podcast and show, take a long time, as Duntsch moves between hospitals and continues injuring patients. And also, I knew that I was dealing with a story that probably half the listeners from the first episode were going to Google and find out the end. What are the potential pitfalls for you as a reporter? To establish that Duntschs disastrous work had been a part of a longtime pattern, prosecutors brought several of his former patients on the stand to testify about their experiences. Actually, one thing you asked about, the pitfalls. Christopher Duntschs late friend and victim, Jerry Summers, claimed Dr. Death gave him his first hit of acid.. Of course, a pediatrician couldnt have done as much damage. Because how can I do anything I want and cross every discipline boundary like its a playground and never ever lose. The best of these series retain the lurid appeal of the news magazine while offering the opportunity to go deeper; to tell stories that resonate as much as they titillate. Of those 38, 31 were leftparalyzed or seriously injured and two of them died from surgical complications. Yeah, and I listened to it twice, happily. The former neurosurgeon is currently serving a life sentence for the maiming of Mary Efurd, one of. Despite this refusal, Duntsch was allowed to finish his residency. Right? He shared: We were like 19 years old, I remember we were driving down the road, and he was like, You wanna take a hit of acid., And I was like, Yeah, Ill take a hit of acid with you. And we popped, hit acid., Jerry revealed: I had never taken a hit of acid before. He was affable. After this, life for Duntsch fell apart. And then for his early background, I relied on the testimony that his parents and his family gave at his trial, where they talked about his history. From the very start, before there were any writers and before I'd even written the pilot episode, I had said to the studio that if you are asking me to answer the question of why Christopher Duntsch is the way that he is, I will never give you that answer. How many of them struck you funny? Dr. Death's Christopher Duntsch Is Now Serving a Life Sentence Collider: And I wanted to start off just by kind of asking, there's so much of the character that you're playing, especially given that it's based on a real person, and I was wondering, what was key for you in terms of unlocking how to approach it? And created all sorts of discussion and blowback inside the industry. We went into a mode of trying to figure out how to fill those shoes. RELATED: Joshua Jackson on Playing 'Dr. So, to be able to have someone who a true believer in the system in Henderson play up against somebody who is, for lack of a better or more tropy word, a maverick within the system, in Dr. Kirby, and to have a character like Kirby who infuses humor into everything that he does, the real life character, I think, we underplayed his humor quite frankly, was a blessing or a gift as you say to us as writers. I listened to this with some friends at one point, and there was a lot of cringing at the medical butchery descriptions. You had people that had lost loved ones, one of Duntschs defense attorneys told ProPublica. Was there anything you had to teach yourself in order to better tell this story? I could only go as far back as his Memphis days, so I did go back to Memphis, and I did talk to quite a few people who knew him in high school. Duntschs career started off bright. Duntsch, who declined KXAN's multiple requests for an interview, was sentenced to life in prison on Feb. 20, 2017. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Right? I limited myself to those emails that were produced as evidence in the trial, because the D.A. Peacock released the series to complement its scripted portrayal of the story, Dr. Death, which released a couple of weeks ago and stars Joshua Jackson as the titular character. Were you in the car listening to the podcast on the way to the grocery store and you said, 'Oh my God, I've got to make a limited series out of this?'. It sort of just blew that flame into a full-fledged conflagration -- not because the hospitals were necessarily to blame, but his education. Then it seemed that it was nothing more than boring to youso then I thought it was my vodka bottle and neurostimulants, but I watched you closely and besides concern for my healthy you were chill and rolled with me on that., What I am being is what I am, one of kind, a mother f****** stone cold killer that can buy or own or steal or ruin or build whatever he wants.". One, since the [Mary] Efurd case in the one that eventually goes on trial, I thought it was important to know what happened in that case, so thats one. Over the course of two years, Christopher Duntsch operated on 38 patients in the Dallas area. Death' First Trailer, The Best TV Shows on Amazon Prime Video to Stream Now. I dont know, but that would be my guess. While he did make it on to a couple of college teamsone in Mississippi and one in Coloradoformer teammates said he had trouble keeping up in practice but would plead with coaches to let him keep trying. 12 Unnerving Facts About Dr. Death Christopher Duntsch - Ranker So we had all of the tools at our disposal. MACMANUS: You said it right there, it was a gift. But some of the most important testimony came from Kimberly Morgan, Duntschs former assistant and ex-girlfriend, who shared parts of a 2011 email from Duntsch that appeared to lay out his true aims: Unfortunately, you cannot understand that I am building an empire and I am so far outside the box that the Earth is small and the sun is bright. The legal system will protect themselves. What do you think are some of the contributing factors? I couldve done more, like, the actual surgical details, but listening to it with other people, I could see how youd want to leave some of that out. He joined the publication in 2021 on the crime beat. The Peacock limited series Dr. Death is in many ways much more a horror story than a drama, but the villain at . They dont want to go participate in any extraneous activities, and he was totally fine going to work.. And even after he eventually lost that appeal, the train had already left the station. Both the scripted Dr. Death series and the Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story docuseries are now streaming on Peacock. For example, I never knew before I started this that I had such strong feelings about sound effects. And so, thats really what I zeroed in on, the whole systemic failure that allowed this to happen. The nightmare at the center of Dr. Death, a new Peacock drama inspired by the 2018 true crime podcast of the same name from Wondery, involves a surgeon who seems intent on using his scalpel to destroy the lives of his patientsand a medical system content to let him skate by. I mean you cant really boil it down. They couldve just said, Youre the print person, leave this to us. But I would err on the side of less is more. And by not stopping a narcissistic sociopath, you're encouraging a narcissistic sociopath. Here, Macmanus talks about how he first discovered the ghastly true story behind Dr. Death which stars Joshua Jackson and drops today on Peacock -- and whether he thinks Duntsch is truly crazy. Duntsch, better known today as "Dr. Death," moved to Dallas in 2010 with impressive qualifications. He is currently appealing this sentence. I do medicine and science. Right? The rambling, four-page email,sent Dec. 9, 2011, to an employee with whom Duntsch had a "personal relationship," has been submitted as evidence in Duntsch's criminal case. So, theyre not as bad. Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater in 'Dr. Its not just about what happened, but how did this occur? The charismatic neurosurgeon was actually a successful researcher before he starting killing people in the operating room. In 2011, Jerry agreed to letChristopherperform cervical fusion surgery at Baylor Medical Center in Plano, Texas on him. So, he would have the title of neurosurgeon, but he wouldnt actually have to do surgery. Duntsch moved on fairly quickly, to the Dallas Medical Center, where officials allowed him to begin operating while they conducted his reference checkswhich ended in disaster. Chief among them is the mystery of whether Duntsch was homicidal or simply criminally inept. 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. The star of the new Peacock drama revealed how he got inside the head of the notorious Dr. Christopher Duntsch. In late 2010, Dr. Christopher Duntsch came to Dallas to start a neurosurgery practice. One improved, and I think there were four, maybe that werent hurt, but they werent helped either. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. 'Dr. Death': AnnaSophia Robb on Playing ADA Michelle Shughart - Newsweek That it needs to be noted that like, well, you can only give these ladies so many slots. 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. And that's only four years ago. But not in front of my lawyers and accountants and partners and employees and friends. And the medical board was the only ones that could really stop him, but they didnt know. Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com. Dr. Death, read about how reckless surgeon Robert Liston killed his patient and two bystanders. And you know, the hope and dream is that the generation that comes up behind me, it seems inconsequential whether it's all women, all men or a blend of something in the both. Death': "He Thinks He's the Hero of This Story", 'Dr. You have these compelling heroes in Henderson and Kirby that are unlike, in my opinion, unlike other quote-unquote "heroes" in the true crime space, because these are two who are taking down one of their own. The screen, almost vestigial now, displayed a still graphic. Dr. Death stars Joshua Jackson as Christopher Duntsch, with supporting performances from Alec Baldwin, Christian Slater, AnnaSophia Robb and Grace Gummer. Who Is Kimberly Morgan, 'Dr. Death' Christopher Duntsch's Assistant He thinks he's the hero of this story. So, the other big mystery as you already pointed out was like, how did the medical system allow this to happen? The next question is how he was able to continue performing surgeries even as he butchered patient after patient. It mightve taken longer. 'Dr. Death' Surgeon Killed or Maimed 33 of His Patients - People I knew I had to get across that even if you think you know the story of Christopher Duntsch, you dont really know the whole story. He chose Dallas after learning that Young had family near the city and she offered to go with him. In Canada, health is a right. Prior to serving as Senior TV Editor at Collider, her work had been published by Vulture, Variety, The AV Club, The Hollywood Reporter, IGN, The Verge, and Thought Catalog. This was a very dangerous story for somebody like me to delve into. I expected some oohs and ahhs, but, for instance, the missing screw, when you get to the part that there was this screw where he had put it into the muscle. Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story starts streaming on Peacock Thursday, July 29. If people come away from the show saying, "We don't know who Christopher Duntsch was," that was the intent, right? Because that one where he says that, Im God, Einstein, and I do what I want, but also I control things behind the scenes without anyone knowing in the same sentence that just cracked me up. Of the 37 patients Duntsch operated on in Dallas over about two years, 33 were hurt or harmed in the process. So yes, there are definitely heroes in the story. She received The Dallas Morning News Reporter of the Year award in 2016 and 2017. 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 dead. His very first operation at the hospital would once again turn deadly. Right? Its not just the story of Christopher Duntsch, its a story about the American healthcare system. Dr. Death begins streaming today on Peacock. According to Summers, he first met Duntsch in junior high school in Tennessee when they both played football together and remembered him being a "real smart" and "hard-working guy." As an undergraduate in college, Duntsch even lived with Summers and Summers' grandmother. Following his blunders, Duntsch resigned from Baylor Plano in April 2012 before they could fire him. It's a complicated plank that he tried to walk. His father was a missionary and physical therapist and his mother was a school teacher. I say to her 'someday, I'm going to be right and you're going to feel bad about this.' So what it meant for the particulars of our show is that we had three excellent directors. While Baylor-Plano conducted an investigation of Duntsch and his cases, and found that he would need to be let go, Duntsch was not technically fired from the hospital. And so, the producers started Googling and decided that he would make a good story, and then they contacted me because they were looking for a local reporter in Dallas who could work on the story. All Rights Reserved. Were there times when you would look at drafts and be like, "Maybe we should pull back on the administrative stuff?" Naysha Lopez hilariously previews 'fashion' and 'some ugly stuff' on, Kandy Muse will be 'the main character' of. In 2018, he filed for an appeal which was rejected by the court. So we shot the episodes in three different bricks. Jamie Dornan was originally attached to play Christopher in the beginning. Did you feel a need to go talk to Christopher Duntsch in prison? I think that it would do a disservice to the story to try to find the pretty pink bow to tie on the story, to let people know how this creature could possibly be. In order to tell the story they hired Laura Beil as the lead reporter. Death' Review: Joshua Jackson Is Terrific in Terrifying Peacock Series That's as Sharp as a Scalpel. Right? No, for me, I love that stuff. There, other surgeons quickly realized their new colleague was not just arrogant about his abilities but an actual danger to his patients as the casualties began adding up. By signing up you agree to ourTerms of ServiceandPrivacy Policy. Left: WFAA-TV, Right: D MagazineLeft: Christopher Duntsch in surgery, Right: Christopher Duntschs mugshot. In terms of the production, were you shooting at all chronologically or was itwere you kind of bouncing between time periods? I think Ava is the first person to have a completely female directed show on Queen Sugar. And at that time, Christopher's case was actually on appeal. One of the patients who suffered disastrous consequences was Jerry Summers, the boyfriend of Megan Kane and a friend of Christopher Duntsch. And so, that was one of my goals to start out with, is to just report the hell out of it. You had people on crutches. When I listened to the podcast, when I got into the conversation with Patrick Macmanus, when he gave me all the research material, I so wanted to make him evil. And I need to think of it, not as a patient, but as a customer, which is a very difficult thing because you're in an extremely vulnerable place anytime you're interacting with the medical system. Its lucrative for the hospital. So it really came down to the reporting and the telling of the story itself. Where Is Dr. Death Now? - Here's Where Christopher Duntsch Is Today in 2021 The value of the legal system, right, of tort reform in the state of Texas was placed above the safety and remuneration of the patients and victims. We went out of our way to let your imagination do the work. She was transferred to another hospital and died. She was a National Magazine Award finalist in 2016 and in 2018 won the Victor Cohen Prize for medical science reporting. You have reached your limit of free articles. and a Ph.D. from a top-tier medical school, a decade of experience, and a central role in a pioneering stem-cell treatment. So, while I wish that the administrations acted sooner, at the end of the day, and this is something that I've said for quite a bit now, Christopher Duntsch deserves to be in jail for the rest of his life, because how he acted was completely inhuman and any human that had that ability to feel would have stopped after the first or second surgeries. Death' Review: Joshua Jackson Is Terrific in Terrifying Peacock Series That's as Sharp as a Scalpel. But those graphic descriptions are only in the first episode, because you had to know. It. Liz Shannon Miller is a Los Angeles-based writer and editor, and has been talking about television on the Internet since the very beginnings of the Internet. And thats really true for any medical story, I think. It was also perhaps the definitive portrait of Orange County, California. I didnt really expect that one to create quite such a reaction. And so, in the end, I did have to trust them, and I do. Lets just say that this was a back and forth discussion for a lot of it. I mean, the guy who you think is guilty from the first episode really is guilty. 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 Duntschs story takes place. Follow her on Twitter at @lizlet. He wanted to be the one that was front and center and really out there. Dr. Death: Patrick Macmanus on Understanding Christopher Duntsch
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