Kyler Alvord leads PEOPLE's politics coverage as a news editor for the brand. I don't think anybody but Christopher Duntsch can answer that question. Prior to his death earlier this year, Jerry discussed his relationship with Christopher in a new interview for Peacocks Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story. He graduated from a top-tier medical school, was running research labs, and completed a residency program for neurosurgery. surgeries in Dallas and Plano in 2012 and 2013, killing or maiming up to 15 patients. But depositions from Duntschs peers who knew him around that time period, between 2006 and 2008, point to cracks in the facade. The charismatic neurosurgeon was actually a successful researcher before he starting killing people in the operating room. His very first operation at the hospital would once again turn deadly. Nurse who worked with Dr. Duntsch recalls his experiences - YouTube 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. What do you think are some of the contributing factors? See, this was actually one of the disadvantages that I had. Like, let the story speak for itself. 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. 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. He wanted to be the one that was front and center and really out there. He was affable. We would be lauding him for what he was doing because to this day, several of his patents are still being used in the use of stem cells and neurosurgery. Everything You Need To Know About Dr. He did his surgical residency at the University of Tennessee in Memphis, spending five years studying neurosurgery and a year studying general surgery. 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. Because the reality is, is that we're a training craft business. So for those of us at just the human level who are interacting with them, we have to realize that we don't just need the systems that have been created to operate better. Eventually, they indicted Duntsch on five counts of aggravated assault and one count of causing harm to an elderly person. And so, I think if you translate that to his desire to always want to be on top and to always want to be the most prestigious, I would guess that, that had probably more to do with it than the money. He's a psychopath. Dr Death received a life sentenceafter being convicted of maiming one of his patients. 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. We're moving in the right direction. Christopher Duntschs late friend and victim, Jerry Summers, claimed Dr. Death gave him his first hit of acid.. 5 years after 'Dr. Death,' doctors still come to Texas to leave pasts The value of the institutions was placed above the value of the patients. Were there any surgeries that he actually did correctly? 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. Yeah, hopefully even just asking that question today almost feels a little bit dated. It was the status, because his friend Rand Page, said that he actually never intended to be a neurosurgeon, that he was gonna work at this [stem cell treatment] company and make his fortune there. Christopher, known as Dr Death, was Jerry's friend and the surgeon who performed the botched operation on him in 2011 Credit: Dallas County Sheriff's office The four-part docuseries features old. Was that something that he knew? You have to be spare and selective with the details. Dr. Death, a story Wonderys producers heard about through Dirty Johns tips email, feels perhaps less like a show on Oxygen, though its arguably more relevant. Left: WFAA-TV, Right: D MagazineLeft: Christopher Duntsch in surgery, Right: Christopher Duntschs mugshot. 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. It profiles a spine surgeon named Christopher Duntsch, who operated on 38 people, 33 of whom were left either dead or with some form of permanent paralysis. I limited myself to those emails that were produced as evidence in the trial, because the D.A. In the Canadian system, you go for care first, and then you pay a couple of times a year into the system. 7 chilling thoughts of jailed neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch Its a lucrative surgery. Plenty, plenty, plenty, plenty. Believe it or not, there was stuff I took out. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. And then the rest were injuries. Out July 15, Dr. Death introduces viewers to Christopher Duntsch, a real-life Texas-based surgeon who in 2017 was sentenced to life in prison after maiming and even killing almost all of the. Before that, Naomi was a criminal justice reporter in Dallas, New Orleans and Baton Rouge. I had seen Josh in When They See Us. Dr. Death executive producer explains how Christopher Duntsch could 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. So yes, there are definitely heroes in the story. And then in this case, it seems like if there is a mystery its just, what is this guys deal? 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. Yeah, I mean, what strikes me about it so much is that, you can see that, and you can also see why we need systems that clearly weren't working in this case. 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. Who Is Kimberly Morgan, 'Dr. Death' Christopher Duntsch's Assistant Christopher, known as Dr Death, was Jerry's friend and the surgeon who performed the botched operation on him in 2011 Credit: Dallas County Sheriff's office 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. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison. 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. Thats why we have these hours and hours of tape, but that said, there are a few fundamentals that were wrong. He was then sent to a program for impaired physicians and still allowed to complete his surgical trainingthough how thorough the training was is unclear. Right? Then check out the horrifying story of Simon Bramhall, a surgeon who admitted to burning his initials into patients livers. They couldve just said, Youre the print person, leave this to us. But I would err on the side of less is more. He was a phenomenal partner right up until the pandemic hit and we got shut down. For example, I never knew before I started this that I had such strong feelings about sound effects. Christophers late childhood best friend added: Chris was very intrigued with a lot of the stuff going on in my life. He is currently appealing this sentence. He was then brought on board at the Dallas Medical Center where he continued his carnage. And that wasnt a manufactured thing. 12 Unnerving Facts About Dr. Death Christopher Duntsch - Ranker His first drug of choice would be cocaine.. I felt sick for most of the last three years in the best possible way. Theres a different crew at Dallas Medical Center now, but you have to think that the reason his hiring was fast-tracked was because, you know, he was a neurosurgeon and he told the administrator, Yeah, and Ive got a bunch of patients who are ready for surgery. White men also have stories to tell. Like a lot of these podcasts, they do start out as a mystery, or they have a big plot twist in the middle. Determined to play football for a Division I college team, Duntsch dedicated himself to training while in high school. "Dr. Death" Memphis victim dies years after botched surgery Joshua Jackson on Playing 'Dr. Right? Naomi Martin. Life After "Death": Lethal Surgeon Sentenced to PrisonWATCH NEXT: Former patient of Dr. Duntsch discusses botched surgery (1 of 5) https://youtu.be/9JwAnjnDs. Following his blunders, Duntsch resigned from Baylor Plano in April 2012 before they could fire him. This attitude and outlook stuck with Duntsch as he set out to achieve something beyond football and landed on surgery. Duntsch took careful steps to put across the image of a hardworking, competent and caring person and doctor. I believe that being born as a narcissistic sociopath was encouraged by his upbringing. It was a rambling note that touched on Duntsch's frustrations with his business and personal relationships. How much do you think that affected Duntschs decision to become a neurosurgeon in the first place? Right? So I think we're getting towards a better place. So the outcomes are totally evil, and it is unconscionable that this man was allowed to continue to create this much chaos and pain in people's lives. In the meantime, prosecutors were working with Kirby and Henderson to find a way to indict Duntscha challenge, considering Texas had never previously handled such a case. Did you talk a lot about how gory to make the surgeries? Duntsch focused on his research for a while but was recruited from Memphis to join the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute in North Dallas in the summer of 2011. Death': "He Thinks He's the Hero of This Story", 'Dr. 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. 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. He was putting stuff in the wrong place. Yeah, I think the fact that he was a neurosurgeon was also a contributor. How much did you worry about putting too much of that in there and it being too gory, or too graphic? More reviews here. 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. Some people woke up paralyzed; others emerged from anesthesia to permanent pain from nerve damage. As is shown in the series, he drank too much and shoplifted hundreds of dollars worth of items, among other erratic behaviors. Season 1 tells the story of Christopher Duntsch, a Texas surgeon who was convicted of gross malpractice after thirty-one of his patients were left seriously injured after he operated on them, and two patients died . Im the only clean minimally invasive guy in the whole state.. I was working on a show called Happy [for SyFy] and I was sent the first three episodes of the podcast that hadn't come out yet. In 2013, things came to a tragic head. I can tell you that I do believe that he was a product of nature, nurture and the system that enabled him to be able to do what he did. The series tells the story of Christopher Duntsch, a doctor who maimed and killed people during surgeries at hospitals across Texas. By the time the Texas Medical Board revoked his license in June 2013, Duntsch had left two patients dead. Per the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Duntsch will be eligible for parole on July 20, 2045, when he is 74 years old. MACMANUS: I think that it was our intent to present the facts as we saw them in our research, and again, allow audiences to draw from them as they will. 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Christopher Duntsch may be the most famous neurosurgeon in Texas. Christopher Duntsch gave me my first hit of acid.. At the same time, Duntsch was operating on another woman, and the staff in the room said they were unsure whether he was putting hardware in the right places and noticed he kept drilling and removing screws. That woman woke up in pain, unable to move. The doctor denies doing anything wrong. Patrick Macmanus also explains why the show's supporting characters were such a gift. In July, he performed an operation on a woman who lost a tremendous amount of blood and lost consciousness upon waking up after surgery. And so, I tried to include those details that would really establish how bad he was. 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. Ellis Unit prison in Texas. Hes cutting arteries. JACKSON: We were bouncing between time periods a lot. Im not saying it was the systems fault. Its hard for me to pinpoint any one thing, because it was so many things. He was even part of a group that founded the biopharmaceutical company Discgenicswhich focuses on developing regenerative cell-based therapies to help with painand brought on two of his mentors in surgery as investors. Summers is a former patient of Christopher Duntsch, who was nicknamed "Dr. Death." Duntsch is serving a life sentence in prison after killing and maiming more than 30 patients while working in the . "Between god, Einstein and the antichrist", Anyone close to me thinks that I likely am something between god, Einstein and the antichrist. I know you talked to a lot of his college friends, how far back into Duntschs childhood did you want to go? See Kim's most controversial Met Gala looks after 'offensive' Marilyn gown, Inside Teen Mom Jenelle's ex Andrew's humble New York life away from Jace, Kourtney Kardashians thin frame drowns in baggy jeans as she rocks sultry red lips, Wheel of Fortune brings back contestant 'treated unfairly' in rare gesture, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Jerry Summers, who died earlier this year, claimed Christopher Duntsch gave him his 'first hit of acid', Christopher, known as Dr Death, was Jerry's friend and the surgeon who performed the botched operation on him in 2011, Jerry claimed he'd 'never taken a hit of acid' before doing so with Christopher, Along with a docuseries, Peacock also has a Dr Death scripted show, where Joshua Jackson plays the titular character, Dr Death - Trailer for the Peacock series based on the true story of Christopher Duntsch. Right? You can take in more from a printed article. You had people in walkers. She was a National Magazine Award finalist in 2016 and in 2018 won the Victor Cohen Prize for medical science reporting. I was gifted the opportunity to tell it. I had never seen him like that. But everyone around him, not wittingly or willingly, ended up sort of encouraging all of his worst attributes. But theres one lucky person who escaped, you know? How many of them struck you funny? That it needs to be noted that like, well, you can only give these ladies so many slots. So the Canadian system is very different than the American system. 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. We're certainly not there yet. And then on top of that, you have the systemic side of the medical system that ultimately failed in stopping him. So we shot the episodes in three different bricks. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action, Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater team up to take down a dangerous surgeon in, Joshua Jackson replaces Jamie Dornan in Peacock's, Dr. Death review: Joshua Jackson is chilling. And there were a couple of reasons for that. There were some doctors and some plaintiffs attorneys, and later on journalists, who were all working to try to stop this guy. JACKSON: I mean, I think, leaving aside our show, it means that finally the industry as a whole is starting to redress some of the failures of imagination that have led us into a predominantly male, predominantly white-dominated creative industry. Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville,Texas. Death.'. Yeah, I do, and theres another one that comes in later. Talk about a TV writer's dream: a story about a handsome, charismatic doctor with a killer bedside manner. You know, I like to believe that the doctors that I interact with have my best interest at heart. But from a script, youre asking people to remember everything you just told them. Of the 37 patients Duntsch operated on in Dallas over about two years, 33 were hurt or harmed in the process. I'm happy to be a part of a show that is redressing the failure of creative imagination that has placed a female director as some other thing, rather than a director, meaning a male director. A former coworker, Dr. Randall Kirby (played by Christian Slater in the Peacock series), said he watched Duntsch botch a relatively simple procedure by refusing to use a scalpel to remove a disk, instead using a different instrument that ended up causing more damage. There isn't a question that there is a larger theme at work in the show, which was ultimately something that drew me to the show, which is that Christopher Duntsch doesn't just wear a black hat. Christopher Duntsch was just a regular guy who became Dr. Death after he decided to be a neurosurgeon. 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. But those graphic descriptions are only in the first episode, because you had to know. "License to Kill" and "Botched" host advises on how - YouTube 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. And what happened after shows how Duntsch was able to continue working as a surgeon in Texas, despite the trail of broken trust, chronic pain and death he left behind. Naomi is an enterprise/ investigative reporter who has covered Dallas County government, Parkland Memorial Hospital, juvenile detention and the county jail. Right? I'm going to answer it in a couple of different ways. Each very different. Sure, yeah. He's doing it on purpose. But the meta statement of "my gosh, a show can be shot by three women, who knew" we were 75 years past the place of thinking "can three men shoot a show all by themselves?" Dr Death Christopher Duntsch's late patient Jerry Summers claims killer Follow her on Twitter at @lizlet. So, ask the producers. Now, INSDE EDTION tracks the surgeon down to get some answers. Both the scripted Dr. Death series and the Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story docuseries are now streaming on Peacock. JACKSON: Well, it's not. In late 2010, Dr. Christopher Duntsch came to Dallas to start a neurosurgery practice. He might have been fired from the Institute but was still a surgeon at Baylor Plano. 'When They See Us': Joshua Jackson, Blair Underwood & Christopher Jackson on the Netflix Limited Series, 'Dr. He performed only one surgery with the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute. He was a character simultaneously familiar but totally unique, a brilliant schemer who was also, even in his late 50s, kind of an idiot slacker like Fatal Attraction meets a Judd Apatow movie. Despite this refusal, Duntsch was allowed to finish his residency. ", "You, my child, are the only one between me and the other side. I mean, the guy who you think is guilty from the first episode really is guilty. Dr. Death's Best Friend Jerry Summers In His Own Words | True Crime Buzz 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. 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. 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. So, theyre not as bad. Life After "Death": Lethal Surgeon Sentenced to PrisonWATCH NEXT: Attorney who represented Dr. Duntsch's patients discusses her cases (3 of 5) https://youtu.. And in fact, when they called me, I was kind of like, You know Im a print reporter, right? But they were great, they were willing to kind of show me what I needed to know in terms of audio and interviewing for audio, and making an audio podcast. No one but Christopher Duntsch can know exactly what hewas thinkingwhen the. Hed had a whole string of bad surgeries before it even came to the attention of the medical board.