Beverly Hills anesthesiologist charged with murder after patient dies
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Prominent Los Angeles celebrities are some of the thousands of patients that might be at risk after a massive security breach at a plastic surgery clinic. (Reuters)
A Beverly Hills anesthesiologist was charged Wednesday with murder after a patient suffered a fatal overdose while under his care, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Dr. Stephen Kyosung Kim, 53, is accused of giving a lethal dose of Demerol to his patient, Dr. Mark Greenspan, who was undergoing a procedure at the Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery Center in Beverly Hills, the Times reported, citing a press release from the district attorney’s office.
Kim injected Demerol into the patient in order to sedate him before surgery, the release stated. After the surgery, Greenspan suffered a heart attack and died. Prosecutors claim that Kim had been under the influence of drugs during the procedure but declined to comment on what drug they suspect.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kim turned himself in to police. He was later released on a $1 million bail.
“This is a rarity and it’s not used lightly,” Julianne D’Angelo Fellmeth, a public interest lawyer, said. He called the actions Kim is accused of as “pretty ridiculous.”
The first time a doctor was convicted in the U.S. for recklessly prescribing drugs to patients was in 2015, when an L.A. County jury convicted Dr. Hsiu-Ying Tseng of second-degree murder in connection with the overdose of three of her patients, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing the district attorney’s office.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}If convicted, Kim faces will up to 25 years to life, Beverly Hills police said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.