12 Unnerving Facts About Dr. Death Christopher Duntsch - Ranker 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. Dr. Death executive producer explains how Christopher Duntsch could have avoided prison The charismatic neurosurgeon was actually a successful researcher before he starting killing people in the. 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. 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. I mean you cant really boil it down. . Right? Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Death' First Trailer, The Best TV Shows on Amazon Prime Video to Stream Now. I had never seen him like that. Floella Brown went under Dr. Deaths knife in July 2012 and shortly after her surgery, she suffered a massive stroke caused by Duntsch slicing her vertebral artery during surgery. surgeries in Dallas and Plano in 2012 and 2013, killing or maiming up to 15 patients. Does that make sense? You had people in walkers. But the path to that point was a long one made difficult by the systems put in place to protect doctors and the institutions they work for, not the patients. Other patients who went to Duntsch had similar experiences: entering the operating room with the expectation of relieving a great burden and waking up to an even worse reality. Dr Christopher Duntsch - YouTube The charismatic neurosurgeon was actually a successful researcher before he starting killing people in the operating room. Death' Based on a Shocking True Story, Joshua Jackson Becomes a Dangerous 'Sociopath' Surgeon in 'Dr. Out of his 38 surgeries, only three had no complications. The Peacock limited series, based on the Wondery podcast, covers the true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch (played by Joshua Jackson), whose surgical career ruined the lives of numerous people patients who trusted that he would help them get better. At first I thought it was simply my world and that it was too much for you. By signing up you agree to ourTerms of ServiceandPrivacy Policy. In this case, Duntsch remained a popular hire in part because neurosurgeons bring more revenue to the hospitals they work for than nearly any other medical specialty, and officials are unlikely to second-guess a candidate with stellar credentials and recommendations. It sort of just blew that flame into a full-fledged conflagration -- not because the hospitals were necessarily to blame, but his education. Yeah, that was a concern. I believe that being born as a narcissistic sociopath was encouraged by his upbringing. But not in front of my lawyers and accountants and partners and employees and friends. Christopher Duntsch was sentenced to life in prison in February 2017 for his heinous acts. But those graphic descriptions are only in the first episode, because you had to know. 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. Dr. Death was fired before the end of his first week for the damage hed inflicted on Brown and Efurd. This thrilling drama is based on a hit podcast of the same. 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. What was totally new was that Im a print journalist. 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. When we are alone, my love for you will let you do so because that is your nature. I don't think anybody but Christopher Duntsch can answer that question. But I think, it is good. You just reminded me, that was another danger that we were really grappling with. Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater join the cast as two doctors who try to stop Duntsch from causing further harm. Dr. Death's Best Friend Jerry Summers In His Own Words | True Crime Buzz Death' Review: Joshua Jackson Is Terrific in Terrifying Peacock Series That's as Sharp as a Scalpel. I think Ava is the first person to have a completely female directed show on Queen Sugar. And by not stopping a narcissistic sociopath, you're encouraging a narcissistic sociopath. Following his blunders, Duntsch resigned from Baylor Plano in April 2012 before they could fire him. The system was attracted to his very real charms. 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?'. Christopher Duntsch may be the most famous neurosurgeon in Texas. He performed only one surgery with the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute. Right? Dr. Death in surgery. 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. KEEP READING: 'Dr. I can tell you that, with the intention of allowing audiences to come to their own conclusions, my conclusion is that Christopher is an extraordinarily complex and tragic figure. JACKSON: Well, yeah, it gives you a healthy skepticism. 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. One patient, a childhood friend of Duntschs, went in for a spinal operation with someone he trusted and woke up a quadriplegic after the doctor damaged his vertebral artery. One improved, and I think there were four, maybe that werent hurt, but they werent helped either. Halle Bailey, Melissa McCarthy, and director Rob Marshall share the tale behind making their underwater musical with a groundbreaking Disney princess. He was affable. By the time the Texas Medical Board revoked his license in June 2013, Duntsch had left two patients dead. His very first operation at the hospital would once again turn deadly. I couldnt go beyond that. Right? Naomi is an enterprise/ investigative reporter who has covered Dallas County government, Parkland Memorial Hospital, juvenile detention and the county jail. Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action Little Mermaid with a new generation's Ariel. Coupled with the slow pace of the investigation the Texas Medical Board conducted, Duntsch was basically allowed to wreak havoc wherever he went until he was brought to a final stop. For months, they stopped getting reports about messed up operations and thought theyd found success. But in reality, you don't see a whole lot until the finale. Like, I could hear the people around me reacting. I spoke to her by phone this week about the series itself, and about the challenges of working in a new medium. Only years later would the Dallas district attorneys office discover through a search of hospital records that although a typical neurosurgery resident completes about 1,000 operations during their training, Duntsch had actually done fewer than 100. The Christopher Duntsch Surgery That Was So Bad One Doctor Called It 'Attempted Murder'. Well, the whole email thats coming up in episode three Its hard to pick out because it just goes on and on. From the people that I talked to First of all, only Duntsch knows that, and I cant read his mind. Because how can I do anything I want and cross every discipline boundary like its a playground and never ever lose. We went into a mode of trying to figure out how to fill those shoes. The patient Duntsch operated on continues to walk with a cane and lives with chronic pain. I say to her 'someday, I'm going to be right and you're going to feel bad about this.' He is serving his sentence at the O.B. I did talk to as many of his high school friends as I could. Duntsch agreed by voicemail to an interview for this story on Wednesday, but did not return subsequent calls for comment. This meant Summers could still feel pain, but was unable to move from the neck down. The series, a lightly fictionalized version of the podcast, stars Joshua Jackson as the slick and overconfident Duntsch. 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?" Right? So, I always try its like how do you tell their story, and what happened to them, and what theyve lived through, but without really exploiting them? Christophers baby mama Wendy Young described him and Jerry as the party boys, and Jerry described just how true that was. And thats really true for any medical story, I think. Duntsch, who declined KXAN's multiple requests for an interview, was sentenced to life in prison on Feb. 20, 2017. He was putting stuff in the wrong place. 'Dr. Death,' The Neurosurgeon Who Left Patients Maimed And from that, it became apparent that the story is really about our healthcare system. 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. Some are on the tape, some are not, just for space reasons. Even worse, some of the patients never got the chance to wake up. He graduated from a top-tier medical school, was running research labs, and completed a residency program for neurosurgery. They suffer with everything from agonizing spinal problems to severely damaged vocal chords and they say their problems are the result of botched surgery performed by the same surgeon, a doctor many of them claim is a butcher and a drug addict. Do you think we get an answer at the end of the show? So it was lovely to get to know her again as a director and just see how she has grown and blossomed and thrown herself into that role. Believe it or not, there was stuff I took out. Death. That is a wonderful question. I didnt really expect that one to create quite such a reaction. 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. You had people on crutches. Yeah. So what it meant for the particulars of our show is that we had three excellent directors. One conversation in Peacocks first episode of Dr. Death sums up the confusion many felt at watching Duntsch work: It was like he knew what he was supposed to do and he did the exact opposite.. He stayed in New York while everyone else went home. Those were way more telling than the emails, I thought, because if you just read through those you get kind of a look into his mind. Planes dont crash because one big thing goes wrong. 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. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. 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. The good news is, is we had thousands of pages of research, thousands of pages of court documents, tons of hours of interviews. Who Is Wendy Young, The Mother Of Christopher Duntsch's Children, And And thankfully, knock on wood, I've never had some spectacularly horrific outcome, like Christopher Duntsch, but I grew up in Canada and I'm Canadian. Dr. Death season one review: a true crime podcast is even scarier - Vox Its just that I figured the listeners would sort of get it, that he was really bad, and he ruined a lot of peoples lives. I would say that he and I both were cokeheads. But there would be certain things that I would hear and like and not like. Were there times when you would look at drafts and be like, "Maybe we should pull back on the administrative stuff?" Duntsch, sentenced to life in prison in February 2017, is believed to be the first surgeon sentenced to go to prison for a botched surgery, according to USA Today. 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. Both the scripted Dr. Death series and the Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story docuseries are now streaming on Peacock. The next question is how he was able to continue performing surgeries even as he butchered patient after patient. Its not just about what happened, but how did this occur? So, the other big mystery as you already pointed out was like, how did the medical system allow this to happen? His surgeries actually get even worse. One lucky person actually improved. Joshua Jackson on Not Playing Dr. Death as an Evil Man 'When They See Us': Joshua Jackson, Blair Underwood & Christopher Jackson on the Netflix Limited Series, 'Dr. [We wanted to profile] enough patients where it was established what he did and the pain he caused, but there was also a danger the only way I know to describe it is a sort of victim fatigue. JOSHUA JACKSON: Well, the first key and probably the most difficult hurdle for me to get over was to not judge him. MACMANUS: You know, it's interesting that you asked that question because it was something that we talked about quite a bit, even before we had the writers' room I'm talking three years ago, I think I got the podcast exactly three years ago next week and my answer was that I genuinely don't believe we will ever be able to answer who Christopher Duntsch was and why he was, and it was not my intention, nor was it our writer's intention, once we got to the writers' room, to answer that question in full. I am somebody who adores the genre of horror. 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. The former doctor will not be eligible for parole until 2045 when he will be 74 years old. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. I can't think of a more enormous responsibility than trying to find an actor to play that role. 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I have to confess, I had not listened to Dirty John before they called me. Christophers late childhood best friend added: Chris was very intrigued with a lot of the stuff going on in my life. Dr. Death in surgery. Yeah, I do, and theres another one that comes in later. 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. Dr. Death: How Many People Did Christopher Duntsch Kill - POPSUGAR Dr. Death is a new true-crime series on Peacock about the story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch. From a creative standpoint, what is so unfortunate about the fact that you need to ask that question, and it's a totally valid question is, one would have hoped that we would have always understood that the more diverse and the better quality voices that we have in telling stories, the better the industry is as a whole. Some people woke up paralyzed; others emerged from anesthesia to permanent pain from nerve damage. The first one is the most graphic. And the American system, I often find myself having to remind myself that in the American system that the money comes first before the care. She received The Dallas Morning News Reporter of the Year award in 2016 and 2017. 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. So, yeah, I think the fact that he was in a profession that brings in a lot of money for hospitals was certainly a factor. Before that, Naomi was a criminal justice reporter in Dallas, New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Of course, a pediatrician couldnt have done as much damage. It's just a very different way of thinking about interacting. Hes cutting arteries. Why Did Dr. Death Do It? 'Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story' Explains So we had all of the tools at our disposal. That was a big focus of Collider's one-on-one interview with Joshua Jackson, who spoke openly about the differences between the American and Canadian health care systems and why it's an important step for shows like Dr. Death to include an all-female directing team (Maggie Kiley, Jennifer Morrison, and So Yong Kim directed the eight episodes). But unfortunately, despite the fact I am winning it is not happening fast enough. I didnt want listeners to grow tired of peoples pain. Scheduling just got in the way there. 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. The last hospital to employ Duntsch was the now-shuttered University General, where he botched another surgery after he mistook a patients neck muscle for a tumor. Duntsch's criminal defense attorney claims her client made honest mistakes while performing risky 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. What do you think are some of the contributing factors? My wife laughs at me all the time about it. The systems were telling us where their actual values lay. JACKSON: Yeah. All three of them are fantastic each in their own right. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Laura Beil Interview: Dr. Death Reporter On Christopher Duntsch - UPROXX Do you think at some point he came to the conclusion that he really was a horrible surgeon, or do you think to this day he thinks everybody else is wrong? I will say I'm a hundred percent hypochondriac. But everyone around him, not wittingly or willingly, ended up sort of encouraging all of his worst attributes. In February 2012, he went under the knife for an elective spinal fusion surgery. 'Dr. Death': AnnaSophia Robb on Playing ADA Michelle Shughart - Newsweek I know youve done this for a long time, but what are some of the things you have to be careful about in reporting a story like this? Now, a podcast called Dr. Death is breaking down the deranged surgeons criminal acts and shows how drug abuse and blinding overconfidence led to big trouble for the patients who found themselvesunderneath the spiraling doctors knife. 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. You have to be very careful with that. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. Going back to neurosurgeons being really lucrative for hospitals. He was charming. Duntsch was not reported to either the data bank or the Texas Medical Board, preventing him from being tracked as he continued his career elsewhere in the state. Christopher Duntsch: The Remorseless Killer Surgeon Called 'Dr. Death' And its all because of one surgeon named Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. After this look at Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. His father was a missionary and physical therapist and his mother was a school teacher. Stars of 'Tiger King' : Where Are They Now? He had a very small but vitally important role. Jennifer Morrison, I've actually known for a very long time. 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. The legal system will protect themselves. When people said, You werent going to be good enough, he outworked that and he made it happen.. A new four-part docuseries from Peacock premiering July 29, called Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story, peers inside the torturous crimes of Duntsch, featuring chilling stories from victims and coworkers who saw the killer surgeon in action and were forever harmed as a result. ", "You, my child, are the only one between me and the other side. That was the thing that people around me were really reacting to. The Real Story Behind the Dr. Death Podcast - Christopher Duntsch In 2013, things came to a tragic head. How much of his crazy emails and phone messages did you have to throw out in order to focus on the main story? And so, he was an attractive hire. And at that time, Christopher's case was actually on appeal. Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com. Nurse who worked with Dr. Duntsch recalls his experiences - YouTube 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. 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. You did have a crusading whistleblower character in there. My instinct was that the only way, that this man has to be evil, because there has to be a reason why all of this spectacularly bad stuff happened and the simplest and easiest answers he's evil. Crucially, as is recounted in careful detail in the podcast, in part because of the voluntary exit, Baylor-Plano was not required to report Duntschs actions to the National Practitioner Data Bank, a resource medical professionals and hospital administrators use to track which doctors have been fired, suspended, had their licenses revoked or have had to make malpractice payments. 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. Joshua Jackson as Christopher Duntsch in 'Dr. 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. I listened to this with some friends at one point, and there was a lot of cringing at the medical butchery descriptions. His first drug of choice would be cocaine.. How much did you worry about putting too much of that in there and it being too gory, or too graphic? He was then brought on board at the Dallas Medical Center where he continued his carnage. And that wasnt a manufactured thing. "This defendant single-handedly. 'Dr Death' Stars Share Why They Think Christopher Duntsch - TheWrap He's doing it on purpose. During this time, he ran two successful labs and raised millions of dollars in grant funding. In terms of the production, were you shooting at all chronologically or was itwere you kind of bouncing between time periods? Death', How We Can Learn to Live with COVID-19 After Vaccinations. Sure, yeah. And I, as an actor, want to have the ability to work for the whole smorgasbord of humanity as my directors, as my costars, as my writers, because it makes the stories that we're telling more compelling, not less. The True Story Behind Peacock's 'Dr. Death' | Time Owney Madden Obituary, Uchicago Harris Phd Stipend, West Virginia Missing Persons List 2022, Memorial Wind Chimes With Cardinal, Articles C
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