Florida plastic surgeon charged in wife's death after fatal overdose on operating table

A Florida surgeon faces up to life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder in the death of his wife after she refused to call 911 when he gave her a fatal drug overdose.

Benjamin Jacob Brown, a 41-year-old Georgetown-trained plastic surgeon, was arrested Monday after the death of his wife, Hillary Ellington Brown, who had a seizure during a cosmetic procedure he was performing on her at his office. Restore Plastic. surgery

“The Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office arrested Brown on a charge of second-degree criminal homicide – negligent homicide. He is currently being held in the Santa Rosa County Jail pending an initial appearance, where a judge and State attorney's office will determine a bond. seconds in the Pensacola News Journal.

(Video credit: Inside Edition)

Brown turned himself in and was booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail.

He allegedly waited 10 to 20 minutes before calling 911 after his wife became unresponsive during the procedure in which he reportedly administered a toxic amount of medication and didn't have the right equipment on hand.

According to the Pensacola News Journal:

The state found that on November 21, 2023, Hillary Brown was undergoing miniature muscle plication/abdominal scar revision, bilateral arm liposuction, lip injection and ear fitting procedures when she showed signs of lidocaine toxicity.

The state said Hillary, who is not a licensed medical professional, was allowed to prepare and take her own anesthetic solution before the procedures Brown performed on her and that she showed signs of lidocaine toxicity during surgery before he didn't answer, but Brown continued. administer lidocaine and operate on her.

The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office noted that the victim had even stitched up his own abdominal incision.

Although she was rushed to the Emergency Care Department at Ascension Sacred Heart in Pensacola after her husband passed out and staff called 911, Hillary died after a week on life support vital His cause of death was “complications following lidocaine toxicity,” according to a medical examiner's report.

“We need prayers for a miracle. Hillary went into cardiac arrest Tuesday afternoon. We called 911 and started CPR. Her heart is back, but her brain is not doing well,” Brown posted on social media on November 24.

But Marty Ellington blames the Gulf Breeze surgeon for the death of his daughter who had three children from a previous marriage.

“My family lives in a sea of ​​tears for eternity because of the actions of one careless individual,” Ellington said, according to the news outlet. “His ego and arrogance overshadowed the need for help, prolonging the deprivation of oxygen to his brain and ultimately causing his death. Ben Brown took the mother of my grandchildren, my only daughter and our brightest star. Hillary gave the ultimate sacrifice so Ben Brown can't hurt anyone else. Maybe in prison he'll get the attention he deserves.”

In May, the Florida Department of Health issued an emergency order to restrict Brown's license even though many sense this was not enough.

“The level of disregard that Dr. Brown showed for patient safety, even when the patient was his wife, indicates that Dr. Brown is unwilling or unable to provide the appropriate level of care to his future patients,” read the order from the Florida Department. of Health

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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida, where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.

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