A plastic surgeon has been arrested for the death of his wife, who went into cardiac arrest after he performed procedures on her.
On Monday (June 17), the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office apprehended Dr. Benjamin Jacob Brown following the passing of Hillary Ellington Brown, in November 2023.
Authorities said the 41-year-old failed to call the police for nearly 20 minutes after his spouse suffered a seizure on an operating table in his Gulf Breeze, Florida office, as reported by Fox News.
According to documents obtained by Law & Crime, Hillary was set to undergo a miniature muscle plication/abdominal scar revision, bilateral arm liposuction, lip injections, and ear adjustment procedures.
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Before going under the knife, Hillary - who had no medical training - allegedly "prepared her own tumescent solution which includes diluted lidocaine, epinephrine, and sodium bicarbonate" and took a "plethora of pills," which allegedly included Valium, Tramadol, and Versed.
It has been claimed that the surgeon administered additional anesthesia but was unable to share what he used and didn't record the dosages.
One former staff member claimed that Dr. Brown purposely gave his spouse more anesthesia than needed for her small size.
"She said Brown referred to the victim as his 'little alien' and intentionally gave the victim higher doses of medications," the warrant reads, per Fox News.
During the abdominal procedures, Hilary began to feel “restless" and her feet "began twitching," per the document. The twitching escalated when her husband started performing liposuction on her arm.
Although she already had signs of "lidocaine toxicity," Brown allegedly injected an even more concentrated lidocaine solution into her face, per the sheriff's office.
“(Hillary) stated that her vision started to blur, and she told Dr. Brown that she saw ‘orange,'” the report notes. “Restlessness, muscle twitches, and blurred vision are all early signs of lidocaine toxicity. Dr. Brown continued injecting lidocaine/Xylocaine in (Hillary Brown’s) face.”
Soon after, Hillary became unresponsive and began to have a seizure. Several medics allegedly asked if they should call 911, but Dr. Brown ordered them to wait. "The medical assistant was scared and a new employee, so she did as Dr. Brown instructed," the file states.
Instead of calling the ambulance, Dr. Brown allegedly “shouted” at the medics, asking them: “What medication did she take, what did she take."
Then "after approximately 10-20 minutes" as his wife's "breaths were shallow, and her pulse and blood oxygen levels were low," the man finally relented and his assistants called 911 before performing CPR.
Hillary was rushed to the Ascension Sacred Heart Emergency Care Department in Pensacola after suffering a "cardiac arrest with an elevated lactic acid level and suspected lidocaine toxicity," and never regained consciousness before her death on November 28.
A medical examiner found that her cause of death stemmed from "complications following lidocaine toxicity."
In addition to this, the Florida Department of Health concluded that the surgeon had been negligent and "haphazard" during the cosmetic procedures.
"The level of disregard Dr. Brown paid to patient safety, even when the patient was his wife, indicates that Dr. Brown is unwilling or incapable of providing the appropriate level of care to his future patients," they said.
Hillary's heartbroken father Marty Ellington issued a statement to the Pensacola News Journal, writing that his bereaved family "lives in a sea of tears for eternity due to the actions of one careless individual".
"His ego and arrogance overshadowed the need for help, prolonging oxygen deprivation to her brain and ultimately causing her death. Ben Brown took the mother from my grandchildren, my only daughter and our brightest star," he continued.
"Hillary gave the ultimate sacrifice so Ben Brown cannot hurt anyone else. Maybe in prison, he will get the attention he deserves," Marty concluded.
Dr. Brown, who was licensed to practice in Florida, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Washington DC, is now facing up to life in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted of second-degree homicide.
Our thoughts are with Hillary's family and friends at this time.
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