He called Duntsch's fellowship supervisor in Memphis, as well as the supervisor of Duntsch's residency; it was then that he learned about the incident that led him to be referred to the impaired physician program. His best friend Jerry Summers (played by Dominic Burgess) was left a. He was arrested for DUI in Denver, taken for a psychiatric evaluation in Dallas during one of his visits to see his children, and was arrested in Dallas for shoplifting. It was the same with Dallas Medical Center where hedid not face any action. In addition, he was mixed up with an addiction to cocaine and other drugs, with peers reporting that he would go on all-night benders before operating the next day. But I think it speaks to the inequality of who is in power in these bureaucratic institutions where it has to be like two top surgeons who go after him nonstop, putting their necks out, who have to get the government involved, rather than just like a nurse who knows whats up just saying, This didnt go well, and they could just be fired without consequence.. After interviewing dozens of Duntsch's patients and their survivors, prosecutors concluded that Duntsch's actions were indeed criminal, and nothing short of imprisonment would prevent him from practicing medicine again. [9] Duntsch's defense blamed their client's actions on poor training and lack of oversight by the hospitals. Between 2011 and 2013, Christopher Duntsch operated on 37 patients in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Don tried to convince the jury that his son cared for his patients. According to Dallas Magazine, a woman named Megan Kane remembered how Duntsch partied with her onhis birthday. Dr. Henderson (Alec Baldwin), Dr. Kirby (Christian Slater) and the nurse Josh Baker, played by Hubert Point-Du Jour, these are the professionals who are speaking up. I think the way that his ego was constructed especially weirdly, and I guess this is just narcissistic personality, the more untrue it gets, the more you hold onto that truth. 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. In the first 15 minutes of the premiere alone, the viewer is asked to watch as Dr. Duntsch (played by Joshua Jackson) cuts his patients open, and loudly clamors at bone with hammers and screws . [36][11][9] For the same reason, prosecutors opted to try Duntsch for Efurd's maiming first. Death showrunner] says this all the time, if he had taken a right instead of a left, if he had done strictly research and not gone into surgery, would any of this have happened? Muse woke up in considerable pain, but Duntsch convinced him it was normal. Troy was left barely able to speak above a whisper, had to be sedated for weeks and had to be fed through a feeding tube for some time as food was getting into her lungs. Several people who were in the operating room for Efurd's surgery suspected that Duntsch might have been intoxicated, recalling that his pupils were dilated. We are here to help you make your home a better place by providing you with the latest information and trends from around the world. Christopher Duntsch, also known as Dr. His reckless actions ruined the lives of countless people and serves as an example of how medical malpractice can ruin lives when proper procedures are not followed. Death viewers. Peacocks Free tier includes 7,500 hours of ad-supported programming, including next-day access to episodes of first-year NBC shows, as well as a rotating lineup of classic films and television series. Its easier for a hospital to just kick the can down the road and let the doctor become some other hospitals problem than to risk backlash from the doctor, she said. [6], Christopher Duntsch was born in Montana and spent most of his youth in Memphis, Tennessee. But as the ultimate betrayal, some doctors violate this code of conduct in the worst possible ways. In reality, he makes everything so, so much worse. He added that many board members found it hard to believe that a trained surgeon could be as incompetent as Duntsch appeared to be.[9]. The more it became untrue that Duntsch was a good surgeon and it was so obvious and evident from everything that was going on in his life, the more he had to believe over and above everybody else Backed into the corner of his whole life falling apart, he was even more certain of his brilliance at the end than he was at the beginning., However, Jacksons castmate felt differently. They go, We met the funniest, funniest doctor in Newport Beach,' the newlywed surgeon once shared. The charges brought against Dr. Duntsch stemmed from a series of botched spinal surgeries that he performed between 2012 and 2013. Yet they let him resign and passed the bill along for someone else to pay. As the trial team put it, the "scary pattern" of Duntsch's actions became apparent to the others in the office, leading the DA to give the green light to take the case to a grand jury. Death.). Like Boop, Dr. Robertson also gave Duntsch a great review. Meanwhile, Brown went brain dead and passed away. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. I received word today that Jerry Summers has passed away. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! [40][41] On May 8, 2019, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals refused Duntschs petition for discretionary review. At the time, hospitals were not required to report doctors who only had temporary privileges. [29] Texas Attorney General and current Governor Greg Abbott filed a motion to intervene in the suits to defend Baylor Plano, citing the Texas legislature's 2003 statute that placed a medical malpractice cap of $250,000 and removed the term "gross negligence" from the definition of legal malice. [9][16], As part of their investigation, prosecutors obtained a December 2011 email in which Duntsch boasted that he was " ready to leave the love and kindness and goodness and patience that I mix with everything else that I am and become a cold-blooded killer. Duntsch could have turned it into something good and meaningful. Because of a valuable patent the company owned, they let him through the gates and out into the world. Dr. Death might not have cared about being a surgeon, just the prestige that came with it. The Right Way to Mix Acids and Water: Always Add Acid to Water! Or at least a morally upright one. Duntsch graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine and completed a residency program in neurosurgery. Efurd was left paralyzed. But was he just an inadequate addict? [38][39] On December 10, 2018, the Texas Court of Appeals affirmed Duntsch's conviction by a 21 split decision. Ignatova believes this to be deliberate. [38] Shughart countered that the 2011 email, sent after his first surgeries went wrong, proved that Duntsch knew his actions were intentional. When Mary Efurd could no longer walk, Dallas Medical Center called in Dr. Henderson to salvage the botched surgery. Dr. Death is now also going to be a TV show with Christian Slater and Alec Baldwin playing main roles. Amphibia Season 2 Now Streaming on Disney+! Duntsch, on the other hand, recorded fake testimonials to open his own practice and hopped from hospital to hospital to keep trying to practice medicine as a neurosurgeon. Through his career, reports of him doing rounds under the influence were commonplace. In many cases, it seemed as though he knew the correct procedures but went out of his way to do the wrong thing instead. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Thats the question on everyones minds, including Beils, the reporter who initially broke the story on her Wondery podcast. No, Dr. Duntsch did not know what he was doing. [23][19][24], While operating on Efurd, Duntsch severed one of her nerve roots during spinal fusion surgery while operating on the wrong portion of her back, twisted a screw into another nerve, left screw holes on the opposite side of her spine, failed to remove the disc he was supposed to remove, and left surgical hardware in her muscle tissue so loose that it moved when touched. The seeds of greed were sown. I think some of them he probably did intentionally.. From celebrity gossip to healthy living tips and from new technologies to educational resources - we have it all! [46], Dr. Death, a TV mini-series based on the podcast, began streaming on Peacock on July 15, 2021. Christopher Duntsch, the former neurosurgeon known for saying he wanted to "leave the love and kindness and goodness and patience" and "become a cold-blooded serial killer," is . [31][16] The inquiry went nowhere until 2015, when the statute of limitations on any potential charges was due to run out. [38], Duntsch is housed at the O. A TV dramatization series of the same name is set to debut on Peacock in 2021. While applying to Baylor Regional Medical Center in Plano, TX, Duntsch also provided Dr. Jon Robertson as a reference. Duntsch was Board Certified to do brain and spinal surgery. That statement is blatantly untrue and the ABNS has written to the Oxygen network and its parent companies to demand a correction. ", "Doctor Guilty of Felony Medical Malpractice", "Disciplinary actions against doctors have plunged during the pandemic, but that doesn't mean they are behaving", "An Update on Dr. Death Victim Philip Mayfield", "Jeff Glidewell Today: Where Is Dr. Death's Last Patient Now? I think it was a mixture of both intent and ineptitude, Robb explained. To fellow surgeon Mark Hoyle, he said, "Everybody's doing it wrong. I really wish I knew she said. You can also watch all eight episodes of Dr. Death without ads through its third tier Premium Plus plan, which costs $9.99/month. A string of arrests for DWI, shoplifting, and more followed. I think some of them he probably did intentionally. Dr. Christopher Duntsch seemed to be a successful neurosurgeon in the Dallas area. The Texas DA chose six patients to make their case to the jury: Lee Passmore, Barry Morguloff, Jerry Summers, Kellie Martin, Floella Brown, and Mary Efurd. [16] In 2021, he was profiled on CNBC's American Greed.[4][49]. Another was rendered a quadriplegic and died a decade later from a related infection. Yet, instead of saving lives and using his knowledge for good, the opposite happened. According to an article by WFAA, Christopher Duntsch's father Don stated his son had called him, completely beside himself, when he botched several surgeries. Death', "Texas Jury Imposes Life Sentence on Neurosurgeon", "The Making and Breaking of Dr. "Christopher Duntsch" (Dr. Death)", "Season 14 of CNBC's 'American Greed' Premieres Monday, January 18 at 10PM", Dr. Death: The Texas Surgeon Who Paralyzed his Patients, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christopher_Duntsch&oldid=1149133921, American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Texas, University of Tennessee Health Science Center alumni, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Some never went to trial and had out-of-court settlements. "It was as if the person doing the surgery knew what he was doing but did everything wrong," Dr. The board called in veteran neurosurgeon Martin Lazar to review the case. Had he been fired, that would have been reportable to the national data bank, so he was able to circumvent a major safety feature in the system, neurosurgeon Dr. Martin Lazar told American Greed.. Why was Dr Duntsch so bad? "You don't know this yet, but you will never walk again. Home Health An Analysis of Christopher Duntsch, Dr. Duntsch stuffed a surgical sponge in Glidewell's throat to stanch the bleeding. Since no one else knew what was wrong, they couldn't save her. Duntsch suggested drilling a hole in Brown's head to relieve the pressure, but was refused permission. The story of Duntsch is featured in a new Peacock show titled Dr. Death, unleashing the terrifying reality. [7][28][16], Kirby wrote a detailed complaint to the Texas Medical Board, calling Duntsch a "sociopath" who was "a clear and present danger to the citizens of Texas. He was held in the Dallas County jail for almost two years until the case went to trial in 2017. He was left unable to move from the neck down after Christopher Duntsch, who was once his closest friend, operated on him. Soon though, red flags began to pop up. [36] On February 20, 2017, he was sentenced to life in prison. Lopez answers Henderson's frustrationin a somber tone, sayingthat while you may know a doctor is bad, gathering evidence takes time. There is a complexity tohim at times and a kind of tragedy. B. Ellis Unit outside Huntsville. He then prescribed Muse so much Percocet that a pharmacist refused to fill the prescription. Due to his actions, Brown suffered a stroke that night, but Duntsch didn't responded to hospital pages. [16][24] Henderson described Duntsch's surgery as an "assault", and concluded that Efurd would have been bedridden had the salvage surgery not been performed. Was this a way of keeping the University of Tennessee's ranking up? The Peacock TV series Dr. Typically, neurosurgery residents participate in over 1,000 surgeries in the course of their residency. Many doctors indeed believe that Duntsch knew what he was doing they said its like he knew what to do and did the exact opposite. For instance, he came to work wearing the same tattered scrubs for three days in a row. While the school refused to verify or deny his claims, he wasn't in any of the yearbooks of that time. Negligence? [48], In 2019, Duntsch was the focus of the premiere episode of License to Kill, Oxygen's series on criminal medical professionals. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. Now, we're learning more about the true story of this horrific tale with Peacock's Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story. [9], In March 2014, three former patients of Duntsch's Mary Efurd, Kenneth Fennel, and Lee Passmore filed separate federal lawsuits against Baylor Plano, alleging the hospital allowed Duntsch to perform surgeries despite knowing that he was a dangerous physician. Duntsch was told to take a drug test but disappeared instead. Anyone close to me thinks that I likely am something between God, Einstein and the Antichrist, he once wrote in a 2011 email, according to American Greed.Because how can I do anything I want and cross every discipline boundary like its a playground and never lose.. [30], Henderson and Kirby feared that Duntsch could move elsewhere and still theoretically get a medical license. The information it tracks, includingmalpractice payouts and suspensions, is available only to hospital administrators, not doctors or patients. When the story about Christopher Duntsch finally broke, it affected his patients, or rather, hisvictims, but many people missed it. There are multiple seasons of poor oversight and hospitals who dont necessarily want to deal with the consequences. In 2017, Duntsch was found guilty of gross negligence and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Dr. Duntschs last patient was Jeff Glidewell, a patient at Baylor-Plano who had been treated by Duntsch in 2013. All Duntsch got was a slap on the wrist while his blood-soaked foray into the OR continued. In 2005, partway through the six-year program,he became the director of the tissue bank. Was he intentionally harming people, or was he just that inadequate of a doctor? She suffered a stroke as a result. His negligence resulted in two patients becoming paralyzed, leaving them unable to move any part of their body below the injury site due to a loss of sensation and motor control. But I think whats terrifying for me, as an audience member, is like, how did you get away with it for so long? On July 24, 2012, Duntsch operated on Floella Brown, 64, a banker about to retire after a long career. [3] Death Showrunner Breaks Down Turning Hit Podcast Into New Drama Series On Peacock, AnnaSophia Robb Stars In New Series Dr. And yet the actual tragedy is that someone could have stopped it. At the time, Duntsch was accused of injuring 33 out of 38 patients in less than two years before the Texas Medical Board revoked his license. However, he closed Glidewell with the sponge in place despite others in the operating room warning him about it. He refused to acknowledge anything was wrong, hindering the, This page was last edited on 10 April 2023, at 11:28. I mean, he had some surgeries, he had a handful of surgeries that went fine. Death'? Death portrays him as having only one child, but in reality he has two sons with his wife, Michelle Young. During his second surgery at the new hospital, Duntsch lacerated a blood vessel supplying blood to his patient Floella Browns brain and she died after Duntschs efforts to repair the laceration failed. Did these doctors truly not see though Duntsch? Death Based On A True Story, His resume is about 12 pages long, so he looks really good on paper, exactly the kind of doctor that youd be looking for, Michelle Shughart, assistant district attorney in Dallas County told, (And if you want to dive even deeper into the story, you can also watch the new docuseries, on Peacock, which features interviews with numerous people intimately involved in the case. Duntsch never completed (and barely even started) the rigorous ABNS Certification process. There are some who believe that he never wanted to be in the ORat all. Had Duntsch been fired, Baylor Plano would have been required to report him to the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB), which is intended to flag problematic physicians. Mary Efurd was one of these victims; she underwent surgery to treat her back pain in July 2012 but instead suffered an irreparable spinal cord injury that left her permanently paralyzed from the neck down. According to him, Duntsch had a "great work ethic" and no areas of weakness. Duntsch went on to work at the Legacy Surgery Center of Frisco and University General Hospital Dallas. [4] In an article for The Texas Prosecutor, the journal of the Texas District and County Attorneys Association, Shughart and the other members of the trial team recalled that their superiors were initially skeptical when they presented the case, but eventually found themselves in "overwhelming disbelief" that a surgeon could do what Duntsch was accused of doing. And she saw how he was manipulative and sort of narcissistic. He proved to be Duntsch's last surgery; University General pushed him out soon afterward. In 2014, they performed a complicated spinal fusion surgery on Glidewell, which ultimately ended up being Dr. Duntschs final surgery before he was arrested and charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault. So the procedure, revisional surgery of the type we do, would vary between $30,000 to probably $90,000 or $100,000, he advised. Seven more doctors voiced complaints before TMB finally canceled Dr. Death's license. Base compensation was $600,000 a year for two years, beginning on June 14, 2011. Duntsch jumped from hospital to hospital, none of which reported his botched procedures to a national database of physicians designed to protect against such instances. Surprisingly, his superiors at The University of Tennessee also gave him glowing reviews. While psychopaths are classified as people with little or no conscience, sociopaths do have a limited, albeit weak, ability to feel empathy and remorse. Now keep in mind, Morgan herself was at the wrong end of some of these suits. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE, How Dr Death Star Joshua Jackson Learned to Perform Spectacularly Bad Surgery, Why Dr Death Showrunner Used Dual Timelines to Unravel Duntschs Occams Razor Email. Christopher Duntsch was just a regular guy who became Dr. Death after he decided to be a neurosurgeon. The surgery had left him unable to move his arms and legs, making him a quadriplegic. Death,' Dallas neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch", "Texas neurosurgeon nicknamed 'Dr. Duntsch could have turned it into something good and meaningful. His father, Donald, was a physical therapist and Christian missionary, and his mother, Susan, was a schoolteacher. He harmed the very people who trusted him. [19][16] Kirby claimed that it looked as if Duntsch had tried to decapitate Glidewell and contended that such a botched surgery "has not happened in the United States of America" before. 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. Beil's somber reporting on the Wondery podcast titled Dr. Death will send chills down your spine. Let's delve into what made him tick, and how the medical community failed the victims of Dr. Christopher Daniel Duntsch. [12], Initially, Duntsch focused heavily on the PhD half of his degree. And of course, there are many in the medical field who go above and beyond the call of duty. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. This all happened despite numerous complaints from surgeons and patients, as well as allegations of drug and alcohol abuse. And yet, the names of the latter are incorrect and misspelled. ", "Plano's Baylor hospital faces hard questions after claims against former neurosurgeon", "Barry Morguloff's suit against the Baylor Health Care System", "Was Wendy Renee Young Dr. Death's Wife? [27], While attempting to remove degenerated discs in Marshall "Tex" Muse's back, Duntsch left surgical hardware floating between the spine and muscle tissue. She had come to Duntsch for cervical spine surgery to ease her worsening neck and shoulder . He is not eligible for parole until 2045, when he will be 74 years old. CHRISTOPER Duntsch, also known as Dr. Death, was a doctor who seriously harmed and killed patients during surgeries in hospitals across Texas. Christopher Duntsch had two children: Preston and Aiden. Unlike a TV series where you get to see the character,a podcast is darker. Death limited series, neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch (played by Joshua Jackson), maimed and killed so many patients who came in for complex but routine procedures. Distractify is a registered trademark. After a lengthy investigation by the Texas Medical Board and the Dallas County District Attorneys Office, Dr. Duntsch was arrested on August 19th, 2015 and charged with five counts of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury. Board chairman Irwin Zeitzler later said that complications in neurosurgery were more common than most laymen believe, and it took until June 2013 to find the "pattern of patient injury" required to justify suspending Duntsch's license. It stars Joshua Jackson as Duntsch, Alec Baldwin as Robert Henderson, Christian Slater as Randall Kirby and AnnaSophia Robb as Michelle Shughart. Kenneth Fennell, the first patient Duntsch operated on at Baylor Plano, was left with chronic pain after Duntsch operated on the wrong part of his back. By this time his wife and he had separated and he also filed for bankruptcy. [18] Despite this, Duntsch was retained by South Hampton when new owners bought it and renamed it University General Hospital. Brown was left in a coma for hours before Duntsch finally acquiesced to her transfer. What made this well-recommended neurosurgeon harm his patients and himself? IMDb Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville, Texas. The hospital also instructed Duntsch to only perform minor procedures, but his next surgery had an even more catastrophic outcome. After hearing about the shocking death, vascular surgeon Dr. Randall Kirby (portrayed in the series by Christian Slater) reported Duntsch to the Texas Medical Board. Philip Mayfield, one of Christopher Duntsch's patients, who was paralyzed after his surgery. 33 of his 37 surgeries were botched, with two dead and 31 injured for life. Terry Dubrow and Dr. Paul Nassif are so much more than co-workers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2012-2023 On Secret Hunt - All Rights Reserved They listened, judged and found Duntsch guilty, and sentenced him to life in prison, reports USA Today. Premise: Based on the podcast of the same name, the limited series tells the true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch (Joshua Jackson), a Dallas surgeon who left more than 30 patients dead or permanently injured until two doctors (Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater) and an Assistant District Attorney (AnnaSophia Robb) work to stop him. The Wondery podcast Dr. Death broke down Duntsch's career and his various crimes. [10][7], Duntsch completed his residency having participated in fewer than 100 surgeries. If he could do 50Shades of Grey and some scandalous modeling, playing a menacing Dr. Death should be a piece of cake, right? One such recommendation came from the surgeon under whom Duntsch completed his residency, Dr. Frederick Boop. One of the early investors in Duntsch's company Discgenics was Dr. Rand Page. "[3] A neurosurgery expert for Duntsch's defense team himself said, "The conditions which created Dr.Duntsch still exist, thereby making it possible for another to come along. [4], Longtime spine surgeon Robert Henderson performed the salvage surgery on Efurd. "[20][4] Under heavy lobbying from Kirby and Henderson, the Texas Medical Board suspended Duntsch's license on June 26, 2013. At Baylor Regional Medical Center, during a simple laminectomy, Duntsch slashed one of Martin's major arteries butrefused to admit his mistake. In July 2015, indictments came through. He was subsequently convicted of all charges in February 2017 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. By this time, Duntsch was almost penniless, and the judge had to appoint a lawyer for him. Death, Surgery Records, Conjoined Twins Abby and Brittany Hensel Decide on Procreation, Danny DeVito Short Statures Is Not A Hindrance to Success, Mayim Bialik Talks About Prader-Willi Syndrome. An Analysis of Christopher Duntsch, Dr. ), As Dr. [4], Upon applying for work, he looked extremely qualified on paper: he had spent a total of fifteen years in training (medical school, residency and fellowship), and his curriculum vitae was twelve single-spaced pages. Death, [Wonderys podcast on which the Peacock series is based]. He harmed the very people who trusted him. The Dallas County DA, along with fighting against these very laws, was also running out of time. He later told Glidewell that it was clear Duntsch had tried to kill him. After getting his undergraduate degree in 1995, Duntsch enrolled at the University of Tennessee at Memphis. Once he'd arrived in Dallas, it quickly became apparent Duntsch wasn't the hotshot surgeon he had claimed to be. For instance, he upbraided him for missing the signs that Martin was bleeding out, saying that, "You can't not know [that] and be a neurosurgeon. Duntsch was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 2017, finally ensuring the scalpel would stay out of his hands. Dr. Duntsch is at number one. The Incredible Genetic Trait Childbearing Hips. And what stops another physicianfrom turning into the next Dr. Death? Duntsch will not be eligible for parole until 2045, when he will be 74. Dr. Christopher Duntsch had the hallmarks of an impressive neurosurgeon, at least in theory. According to ProPublica, Duntsch's residency and fellowship records show less than 100 surgeries. [19], In July 2015, approximately a year and a half after his license was revoked, Duntsch was arrested in Dallas and charged with six felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, five counts of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, and one count of injury to an elderly person. He later appealed his case, but lost when his conviction was upheld 2-1 in the Fifth District Court of Appeals . [44] The Dallas County district attorney's office called it "a historic case with respect to prosecuting a doctor who had done wrong during surgery. The suit alleged that Baylor Plano made an average net profit of $65,000 on every spinal surgery performed by Duntsch. 38. Back in 2018, the Dr. Death podcast took the world by storm when we learned about the killer doctor, Christopher Duntsch. The attorneys claimed she knew about the drugs and his drug-addled OR trips but did nothing to stop them. For the DA though she proved to be a good witness. The real question is:Why couldn't anyone stop him in time? If you want to unlock all of the content Peacock has to offer, you can upgrade your account to Peacock Premium at $4.99 a month or $49.99 per year. Before his license was revoked by the Texas Medical Board, he was accused of injuring 33 out of 38 . After undergoing physical rehabilitation, Mayfield was able to walk with a cane but continued to experience paralysis on the right side of his body and in his left arm. The Dr. Death true story reveals that neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch injured 33 out of 38 patients that he saw over a span of less than two years. Or did he have an ulterior motive to maim, torture, and even kill some of his patients? However, red flags surfaced early on, as nurses wondered if Duntsch was under the influence of drugs while on duty. All Rights Reserved. Dr. Christopher Duntsch came to Texas with an impressive resume. His negligence resulted in many serious and life-altering injuries to his patients, including one of his best friends Jerry Summers who was left quadriplegic after surgery. Before going to medical school, Duntsch wanted to be a pro-football player. There are a lot of explanations proposed for why the real-life subject of Peacock's "Dr. Death" limited series, neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch (played by Joshua Jackson), maimed and.
