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Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:06,379 In this episode of American Greed, Christopher Dunge is a young spine 2 00:00:06,380 --> 00:00:09,400 with a big salary and an ego to match. 3 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:16,579 They thought they had a young, hot neurosurgeon with cutting 4 00:00:16,580 --> 00:00:18,960 -edge skills and excellent training. 5 00:00:19,340 --> 00:00:23,040 But instead of helping patients, he hurts them badly. 6 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:25,300 I mean, it was the worst. 7 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,719 I mean, I've never seen anything like it. Leaving one after another maimed, 8 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:30,770 paralyzed. 9 00:00:31,050 --> 00:00:32,100 Even dead. 10 00:00:32,189 --> 00:00:35,790 First thing I remember is not being able to move. 11 00:00:36,110 --> 00:00:39,910 What was going through my head at that time was, what did he do to me? 12 00:00:40,170 --> 00:00:43,090 And yet this killer surgeon keeps on operating. 13 00:00:44,010 --> 00:00:48,369 American Greed sits down with some of those closer to the story to find out 14 00:00:48,370 --> 00:00:53,030 drives Dunch's reign of terror from the delusions of grandeur. 15 00:00:53,290 --> 00:00:57,909 Anyone close to me thinks that I am likely something between God, Einstein, 16 00:00:57,910 --> 00:00:58,960 the Antichrist. 17 00:00:59,030 --> 00:01:00,450 To the mounting depths. 18 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:02,220 Surgery was his out. 19 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:04,879 That was how he was going to make his big buck. 20 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:08,680 To the hospitals that passed the buck, according to lawsuits. 21 00:01:09,100 --> 00:01:13,099 When hospitals look at somebody like Christopher Dunch, I think they see 22 00:01:13,100 --> 00:01:18,580 on. Leaving Dunch's victims at the mercy of the man now known as Dr. 23 00:01:18,860 --> 00:01:19,910 Death. 24 00:01:38,570 --> 00:01:44,569 In March 2012, a school librarian goes to a Dallas hospital for a routine back 25 00:01:44,570 --> 00:01:46,530 surgery and bleeds to death. 26 00:01:47,410 --> 00:01:51,569 Three months later, another patient comes to another hospital for a neck 27 00:01:51,570 --> 00:01:55,750 surgery, where she suffers a stroke and later dies. 28 00:01:56,910 --> 00:02:02,049 The day after this operation, a third woman goes under the knife hoping to fix 29 00:02:02,050 --> 00:02:06,070 her back issues, then wakes up screaming in pain. 30 00:02:07,310 --> 00:02:12,789 What all three have in common is surgeon Christopher Dunch, seen here in a 31 00:02:12,790 --> 00:02:15,990 cramped interrogation room at Dallas Police Headquarters. 32 00:02:17,430 --> 00:02:19,780 You moved here from Tennessee, is that right? 33 00:02:19,810 --> 00:02:23,669 Correct. Okay, so you just started, you did all your schooling there and then 34 00:02:23,670 --> 00:02:29,109 you came? Yeah, med school, Ph .D., graduate school, residency, fellowship 35 00:02:29,110 --> 00:02:31,370 spine. It all sounds impressive. 36 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:38,359 But a prosecutor will say that in Dallas, Dunch injures 33 out of 38 37 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:39,480 less than two years. 38 00:02:40,380 --> 00:02:45,119 And now the once promising doctor has gone from an operating room to an 39 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:46,170 interrogation room. 40 00:02:46,820 --> 00:02:48,260 Hi, Dad, this is Christopher. 41 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:51,670 I was supposed to come home tonight, as you know, and I'm not now. 42 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:56,999 Unexpectedly, the police came and picked me up regarding the DA issues that I 43 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:58,050 mentioned to you. 44 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:02,200 This is the phone of one of the detectives. If you would please call him 45 00:03:02,201 --> 00:03:05,719 he'll tell you what's going on. I had no idea what's going on with Bond and 46 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:06,939 what's going to happen next. 47 00:03:06,940 --> 00:03:09,290 So I'll call you as soon as I can. Love you. Thanks. 48 00:03:14,300 --> 00:03:18,760 Christopher Dunch's career as a doctor starts many years earlier in Memphis, 49 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:19,930 Tennessee. 50 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:25,080 There, he completes a joint MD -PhD program. 51 00:03:25,660 --> 00:03:30,539 and a neurosurgery residency at the University of Tennessee at Memphis 52 00:03:30,540 --> 00:03:31,590 of Medicine. 53 00:03:32,580 --> 00:03:36,520 Then, he remains in the city to complete a spine surgery fellowship. 54 00:03:37,900 --> 00:03:42,479 His resume is about 12 pages long, so he looks really good on paper, exactly the 55 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:44,880 kind of doctor that you'd be looking for. 56 00:03:45,300 --> 00:03:51,320 In all, Dunge spends 15 years in med school, his residency, and his 57 00:03:51,930 --> 00:03:55,130 A process meant to ensure he's got what it takes. 58 00:03:56,070 --> 00:04:01,549 Martin Lazar is a Dallas neurosurgeon who first reviewed some of Dunch's cases 59 00:04:01,550 --> 00:04:03,590 on behalf of plaintiff's attorneys. 60 00:04:04,630 --> 00:04:09,909 When you operate on the brain or the spinal cord, the good job has to be a 61 00:04:09,910 --> 00:04:10,909 good job. 62 00:04:10,910 --> 00:04:12,910 It can't just be journeyman. 63 00:04:13,850 --> 00:04:19,028 But Dunch's resume reveals an overwhelming interest in the Ph .D. part 64 00:04:19,029 --> 00:04:20,930 dual M .D. Ph .D. degree. 65 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:28,559 With his name on multiple academic papers, patents, and biotech startups, 66 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:32,360 clearly met with some early success, and he doesn't keep it to himself. 67 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:39,499 In emails, he describes himself as a supernova, sophisticated savant, and the 68 00:04:39,500 --> 00:04:45,000 best surgeon and scientist in everything I decide I want to be. 69 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:49,839 I can't remember how he phrased it. One's having, like, God knowledge, I 70 00:04:49,840 --> 00:04:50,890 believe, is what... 71 00:04:51,150 --> 00:04:53,070 How he referred to his knowledge. 72 00:04:53,510 --> 00:04:57,170 That was like, you know, one of our problems. 73 00:04:59,250 --> 00:05:05,369 In her first television interview, Wendy Young tells American Greed she meets 74 00:05:05,370 --> 00:05:09,910 the up -and -coming spine surgeon in Memphis one late night. 75 00:05:11,210 --> 00:05:13,510 I had worked at a strip club before. 76 00:05:13,870 --> 00:05:15,290 And I've seen him around. 77 00:05:15,930 --> 00:05:17,130 I thought he was cute. 78 00:05:17,131 --> 00:05:20,779 And then, you know, it was like towards the end of the night. It was very loud, 79 00:05:20,780 --> 00:05:22,400 and all the girls were over there. 80 00:05:22,620 --> 00:05:24,340 I think they knew he was a doctor. 81 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:29,180 So, of course, that's where you're going to go for your money. 82 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:33,720 Dunge and Young will eventually have two children together. 83 00:05:34,300 --> 00:05:38,979 But by the time they meet, the up -and -coming doctor is facing a mounting pile 84 00:05:38,980 --> 00:05:40,030 of debt. 85 00:05:41,280 --> 00:05:46,360 Bankruptcy records later show that he owes $112 ,000 on one student loan. 86 00:05:46,780 --> 00:05:53,699 and $19 ,000 on another, $127 ,000 on a home, and he has debts to his 87 00:05:53,700 --> 00:05:57,480 father that will grow to equal $220 ,000. 88 00:05:58,740 --> 00:06:03,520 All added up, Dunge is nearly a half a million in the hole. 89 00:06:03,521 --> 00:06:07,939 I think he learned very early on that research maybe wasn't where he was going 90 00:06:07,940 --> 00:06:09,120 to be making his money. 91 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:11,660 And so surgery was his out. 92 00:06:11,980 --> 00:06:14,270 That was how he was going to make his big bucks. 93 00:06:14,860 --> 00:06:19,820 If Dunch's goal really is making big bucks, he's chosen the right specialty. 94 00:06:20,340 --> 00:06:27,339 The amount of money that a hospital gets for what we do is in the millions 95 00:06:27,340 --> 00:06:31,160 and millions of dollars for a single neurosurgeon. 96 00:06:33,060 --> 00:06:37,080 Dunch is recruited to work as a spine surgeon in Dallas in 2010. 97 00:06:37,500 --> 00:06:38,880 His starting salary? 98 00:06:39,460 --> 00:06:42,840 $600 ,000 a year plus bonuses. 99 00:06:44,110 --> 00:06:48,430 Kay VanWay is an attorney who will later represent many of Dunch's patients. 100 00:06:49,730 --> 00:06:52,330 He was dead broke when he came to Dallas. 101 00:06:52,630 --> 00:06:58,209 Here was an opportunity for him to start right off with a very, very handsome 102 00:06:58,210 --> 00:07:03,810 salary and with opportunity to make tens of millions of dollars. 103 00:07:04,430 --> 00:07:09,269 At first, Dunch will operate at Baylor Medical Center at Plano, now called 104 00:07:09,270 --> 00:07:11,250 Baylor, Scott, and White. 105 00:07:11,870 --> 00:07:13,130 They thought... 106 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:20,339 They had a young, hot neurosurgeon with cutting -edge skills and 107 00:07:20,340 --> 00:07:27,239 excellent training, and therefore he would be a very profitable addition 108 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:29,020 to their medical staff. 109 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:32,800 They're not alone in thinking they've landed a catch. 110 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:36,380 Dallas is originally where I'm from. 111 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:41,759 And I decided, you know, if you go to Dallas, I'll go with you. You know, in 112 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:43,560 beginning, he talks about marriage. 113 00:07:43,820 --> 00:07:46,470 I'm Mr. Prince Charming. I'm going to change your life. 114 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:50,500 You know, I left with him and then believed in him. 115 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:54,320 And then, you know, he just kind of fell apart. 116 00:07:55,080 --> 00:08:00,519 Next on American Greed, Dunch's true skills as a surgeon become painfully 117 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:04,220 apparent. I mean, he could not wield a scalpel. It was pathetic. 118 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:05,770 And later... 119 00:08:06,110 --> 00:08:09,670 One curious doc hears a disturbing allegation about Dr. 120 00:08:09,910 --> 00:08:16,449 Dunge. Some woman had anonymously placed a phone call saying that he liked to do 121 00:08:16,450 --> 00:08:18,290 drugs before he went to outbreak. 122 00:08:32,110 --> 00:08:37,949 Now in Texas and about to start a $600 ,000 a year job, young surgeon 123 00:08:37,950 --> 00:08:40,420 Christopher Dunn seems to be feeling confident. 124 00:08:41,409 --> 00:08:47,550 In an email, he says he's come to the city to do my thing, build my empire, 125 00:08:47,890 --> 00:08:52,630 party with models without knowing their names to make money. 126 00:08:53,110 --> 00:08:58,129 Doing so involves something Dunn seems to be good at, self -promotion, 127 00:08:58,130 --> 00:08:59,690 this paid infomercial. 128 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:05,020 I treat all patients non -surgically at birth, if at all possible. 129 00:09:05,380 --> 00:09:10,699 And then if they fail that sort of stage of the process, then they come back to 130 00:09:10,700 --> 00:09:12,400 me to discuss surgical options. 131 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:17,580 But Dunch has other ways of letting everyone know just how good he is. 132 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:22,399 When he was in conversations with colleagues, he would just talk about his 133 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:26,639 training. He was going to be the greatest minimally invasive spine 134 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:31,619 Dallas. and he came down to Dallas to clean everything up because most of the 135 00:09:31,620 --> 00:09:33,180 work here was being done wrong. 136 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:38,499 These were extraordinary statements coming out of the mouth of someone that 137 00:09:38,500 --> 00:09:39,640 got finished training. 138 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:43,560 I'd never heard anyone talk like that in my entire career. 139 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:48,739 If Dunge's words to his colleagues are troubling, they're nothing compared to 140 00:09:48,740 --> 00:09:51,520 the deeply delusional thoughts he shares in private. 141 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:56,160 In December 2011, he writes the following in an email. 142 00:09:56,620 --> 00:10:02,299 Anyone close to me thinks that I'm likely something between God, Einstein, 143 00:10:02,300 --> 00:10:06,939 the Antichrist. Because how can I do anything I want and cross every 144 00:10:06,940 --> 00:10:10,380 boundary like it's a playground and never, ever lose? 145 00:10:10,940 --> 00:10:13,140 What I am being is what I am. 146 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:19,879 One of a kind. A mother stone cold killer that can buy or own or steal or 147 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:21,460 or build whatever he wants. 148 00:10:22,980 --> 00:10:25,700 Three weeks after Dunge sends this rant. 149 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:31,699 Vascular surgeon Randall Kirby operates alongside Dunge, giving him the chance 150 00:10:31,700 --> 00:10:35,220 to evaluate the new arrival's self -proclaimed skills. 151 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:40,800 I mean, he could not wield a scalpel. I mean, it was pathetic. 152 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:44,500 And so I knew he had a real problem. 153 00:10:45,580 --> 00:10:50,399 Alarmed at what he sees, Kirby later testifies at trial that he voices 154 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:51,980 to Baylor Plano. 155 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:54,160 But Dunge keeps operating. 156 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:58,280 unaware of or unconcerned about his own shortcomings. 157 00:10:59,820 --> 00:11:05,159 One of his new patients is Jerry Summers, who also happens to be Dunch's 158 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:10,219 friend. As their 1988 high school yearbook shows, they've been together 159 00:11:10,220 --> 00:11:11,270 they were teens. 160 00:11:12,220 --> 00:11:13,880 In February 2012, 161 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:19,860 Summers comes to Baylor Plano so Dunch can fuse together vertebrae in his neck, 162 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:22,900 a surgery that does not go according to plan. 163 00:11:23,950 --> 00:11:30,649 I think everybody in the OR became pretty concerned because Dr. Dunge was 164 00:11:30,650 --> 00:11:37,489 pulling a lot of muscle tissue out of Jerry's neck, and there was just a lot 165 00:11:37,490 --> 00:11:38,540 of bleeding. 166 00:11:38,610 --> 00:11:41,190 When it's all over, complications arise. 167 00:11:41,530 --> 00:11:45,810 Dunge goes MIA, and things go from bad to worse. 168 00:11:45,811 --> 00:11:50,109 Let's talk about what you remember when you woke up. What's the first thing that 169 00:11:50,110 --> 00:11:51,160 you remember? 170 00:11:51,420 --> 00:11:55,340 The first thing I remember is not being able to move. 171 00:11:55,680 --> 00:12:01,780 And I just was kind of freaking out. 172 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:06,200 The surgery leaves Summers a quadriplegic. 173 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:12,899 And a nurse will later testify at trial that when she comes to see Summers a few 174 00:12:12,900 --> 00:12:16,760 days after his operation, he makes a startling claim. 175 00:12:18,410 --> 00:12:21,090 He told this nurse, you know, I want to report a crime. 176 00:12:21,670 --> 00:12:26,669 I was doing drugs with Dr. Dunch the night before the surgery. I was doing 177 00:12:26,670 --> 00:12:29,390 balls, and eight balls is slang for cocaine. 178 00:12:30,810 --> 00:12:35,449 Dunch has denied this, as has Wendy Young, the mother of his children, who 179 00:12:35,450 --> 00:12:36,770 living with him at the time. 180 00:12:37,090 --> 00:12:43,209 And Summers later recants, testifying that with Dunch missing post -surgery, 181 00:12:43,210 --> 00:12:45,920 mentioned eight balls to get his friend's attention. 182 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:50,160 Dunge is never prosecuted for any crime related to this incident. 183 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:53,660 But the nurse makes a complaint to higher up. 184 00:12:53,980 --> 00:12:59,220 Baylor Plano begins a formal peer review, and Dunge takes a leave of 185 00:13:00,460 --> 00:13:05,079 They immediately approach Dr. Dunge and ask him, you know, to go take a drug 186 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:10,020 test. When he went to take his drug test the first time, he did not take his ID, 187 00:13:10,180 --> 00:13:13,839 so they couldn't do the drug test, but he went back later and did end up 188 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:17,099 ultimately taking a drug test, and those results came back negative. I think 189 00:13:17,100 --> 00:13:21,719 it's important to note that when he had the negative drug test, that it was 190 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:26,659 actually done five days after Jerry Summers' surgery, and cocaine gets out 191 00:13:26,660 --> 00:13:27,760 the body in three days. 192 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:33,860 With Dunge having passed his test, an outside reviewer tells the hospital... 193 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:39,339 there's no indication Dunch has drug or psychological issues, and Baylor Plano 194 00:13:39,340 --> 00:13:41,340 reinstates his surgery privileges. 195 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:46,440 But they ask Dunch to only perform minor surgical procedures. 196 00:13:48,220 --> 00:13:53,959 His very next operation takes place on Monday, March 12th, when a 55 -year -old 197 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:59,059 school librarian named Kelly Martin comes in for what should be a routine 198 00:13:59,060 --> 00:14:00,110 operation. 199 00:14:00,300 --> 00:14:03,940 During the procedure, Dunch punctures a blood vessel. 200 00:14:04,940 --> 00:14:09,439 According to trial testimony, when warning signs arise that Martin is 201 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:15,260 out, Dunch does nothing to fix the problem and insists that everything is 202 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:20,739 He just didn't know what he was doing. You can't not know it and be a 203 00:14:20,740 --> 00:14:21,790 neurosurgeon. 204 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:24,220 That's how basic this is. 205 00:14:25,160 --> 00:14:30,360 She essentially bled to death in a upscale hospital. 206 00:14:31,310 --> 00:14:37,110 In a major metropolitan city in the 21st century, 207 00:14:37,270 --> 00:14:43,849 patients aren't supposed to go in for a routine, simple back 208 00:14:43,850 --> 00:14:45,670 surgery and bleed to death. 209 00:14:46,770 --> 00:14:52,289 Hearing about her death, Dr. Randall Kirby testifies at trial that he calls 210 00:14:52,290 --> 00:14:53,370 Texas Medical Board. 211 00:14:53,890 --> 00:14:56,270 Still, Dunge keeps going. 212 00:14:57,730 --> 00:14:58,780 Up next. 213 00:14:59,080 --> 00:15:03,679 With Dutch's growing record of bad outcomes, he couldn't possibly find a 214 00:15:03,680 --> 00:15:04,730 gig. 215 00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:05,810 Or could he? 216 00:15:06,020 --> 00:15:11,299 He's got live bodies ready to go on the operating room table, and they were off 217 00:15:11,300 --> 00:15:12,480 to the races with Dutch. 218 00:15:28,970 --> 00:15:33,749 Hospitals are supposed to track problem doctors using something called the 219 00:15:33,750 --> 00:15:35,850 National Practitioner Data Bank. 220 00:15:37,110 --> 00:15:42,789 The National Practitioner Data Bank, it's put in place to identify people 221 00:15:42,790 --> 00:15:43,840 Christopher Dunch. 222 00:15:44,130 --> 00:15:48,749 That's what Congress did. They put that in place to identify people, bad doctors 223 00:15:48,750 --> 00:15:50,980 like Christopher Dunch, and shut them down. 224 00:15:51,790 --> 00:15:56,369 Hospitals are responsible for reporting the dangerous doctors they find in their 225 00:15:56,370 --> 00:15:59,620 ranks. But it doesn't always work out that way. 226 00:16:01,300 --> 00:16:06,559 On April 18th, a committee at Baylor Plano determines Dunch failed to meet 227 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:10,100 standard of care in his last two disastrous cases. 228 00:16:11,180 --> 00:16:16,699 But two days later, he resigns his privileges, a known loophole that keeps 229 00:16:16,700 --> 00:16:19,260 databank entry appearing spotless. 230 00:16:20,580 --> 00:16:22,380 Had he been fired... 231 00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:28,659 That would have been reportable to the National Data Bank. So he was able to 232 00:16:28,660 --> 00:16:35,459 circumvent a major safety feature 233 00:16:35,460 --> 00:16:41,839 in the system. When Dunch later goes on trial, one veteran physician testifies 234 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:44,320 that doctors know all about this loophole. 235 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:49,400 Prosecutor Michelle Shugart says that in general, others do as well. 236 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:53,779 Everybody knows when you're required to report, and nobody likes to destroy 237 00:16:53,780 --> 00:16:59,859 anybody's reputation. And so they use these little techniques to find ways to 238 00:16:59,860 --> 00:17:01,480 avoid having to report somebody. 239 00:17:04,260 --> 00:17:09,699 Plaintiff's attorney Kay Van Way says that's because in Texas, hospitals face 240 00:17:09,700 --> 00:17:14,539 much heftier damages in a lawsuit from a doctor claiming to have been unfairly 241 00:17:14,540 --> 00:17:16,880 reported than they do from a patient. 242 00:17:17,349 --> 00:17:19,290 claiming to have been badly treated. 243 00:17:20,349 --> 00:17:25,429 It's easier for a hospital to just kick the can down the road and let the doctor 244 00:17:25,430 --> 00:17:31,270 become some other hospital's problem than to risk backlash from the doctor. 245 00:17:31,610 --> 00:17:37,149 Citing patient privacy and the privileged nature of the case, Baylor 246 00:17:37,150 --> 00:17:42,810 White declined to comment, but said they are focused on providing high -quality, 247 00:17:42,830 --> 00:17:44,010 trusted health care. 248 00:17:44,970 --> 00:17:48,980 Now, out of a job, Dunch is facing growing financial pressure. 249 00:17:49,460 --> 00:17:54,839 Having arrived in Dallas with significant debt, bankruptcy records 250 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:57,080 since borrowed hundreds of thousands more. 251 00:17:57,860 --> 00:18:02,180 And the doctor who calls himself the strongest, smartest, coolest, fastest, 252 00:18:02,260 --> 00:18:05,140 slickest, isn't about to call it quits. 253 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:10,879 I think he was highly driven by money. He had tons of debt out there that he 254 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:11,779 wanted to pay off. 255 00:18:11,780 --> 00:18:14,190 I think that was very much driving force for him. 256 00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:19,779 Fortunately for him, Dunch is recruited to operate at this hospital, Dallas 257 00:18:19,780 --> 00:18:23,920 Medical Center, just three months after leaving Baylor Plano. 258 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:28,959 As part of the process, officials there run an obligatory check of the National 259 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:30,440 Practitioner Data Bank. 260 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:33,150 They don't find anything in the data bank. 261 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:35,160 Nothing has been reported about him. 262 00:18:35,420 --> 00:18:40,299 Though they do request detailed files from Baylor Plano, Dallas Medical Center 263 00:18:40,300 --> 00:18:45,200 grants Dunch temporary privileges while they wait for all his records to arrive. 264 00:18:46,140 --> 00:18:49,100 Dallas Medical Center was struggling financially. 265 00:18:49,420 --> 00:18:54,499 He tells them he's got live bodies ready to go on the operating room table, and 266 00:18:54,500 --> 00:18:56,820 they were off to the races with Dunch. 267 00:18:57,880 --> 00:19:03,620 On July 13th, Dunch gets an email saying the red carpets are rolled out. 268 00:19:04,140 --> 00:19:09,539 A week later, he gets his temporary privileges, and within days, he's back 269 00:19:09,540 --> 00:19:13,500 the OR, scheduling three surgeries during his very first week. 270 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:18,980 Some of those he works with will later say he's a mess. 271 00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:24,660 One nurse testifies he asks a colleague if Dunch is on something. 272 00:19:25,580 --> 00:19:28,580 Dunch did not respond to multiple requests for comment. 273 00:19:29,700 --> 00:19:34,079 According to findings by the state medical board, during his second surgery 274 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:39,119 Dallas Medical Center, Dunch lacerates a blood vessel supplying his patient's 275 00:19:39,120 --> 00:19:40,170 brain. 276 00:19:40,540 --> 00:19:41,880 Experts testify... 277 00:19:42,190 --> 00:19:46,590 He then packs it with too much of a substance meant to stop the bleeding. 278 00:19:47,010 --> 00:19:53,729 In doing so, he completely obstructed that vital brain blood 279 00:19:53,730 --> 00:19:59,849 supply, and the patient died as a consequence of that blood vessel being 280 00:19:59,850 --> 00:20:00,900 obstructed. 281 00:20:01,530 --> 00:20:05,450 Now, two of Gunch's last three patients have died. 282 00:20:06,690 --> 00:20:11,459 In a statement to American Greed, Dallas Medical Center says they've come under 283 00:20:11,460 --> 00:20:16,499 new ownership and management since Dunch's days there and that they follow 284 00:20:16,500 --> 00:20:19,320 guidelines to ensure the safety of their patients. 285 00:20:21,020 --> 00:20:26,619 Coming up, as patient after patient is harmed, one doctor goes searching for 286 00:20:26,620 --> 00:20:27,960 info on Dunch. 287 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:34,359 It occurred to me that this was an imposter who obviously had a few screws 288 00:20:34,360 --> 00:20:38,300 and was willing to pretend to be a surgeon. 289 00:20:56,940 --> 00:21:01,139 After the surgery at Dallas Medical Center that leads to the death of one 290 00:21:01,140 --> 00:21:07,159 patient, Christopher Dunn botches the operation on another patient, a 74 -year 291 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:09,120 -old woman named Mary Efert. 292 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:14,899 Some of the other people in the OR were concerned about his intoxication state 293 00:21:14,900 --> 00:21:17,220 at that point, that his pupils were dilated. 294 00:21:18,020 --> 00:21:22,799 After Efert's surgery, administrators at the hospital yank Dunn's temporary 295 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:25,960 privileges and call in surgeon Robert Henderson. 296 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:28,360 to take over Eford's care. 297 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:35,359 Miss Eford couldn't get out of bed. She was screaming in pain. She couldn't bear 298 00:21:35,360 --> 00:21:39,180 weight on her legs. They were essentially flaccid. 299 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:45,259 Henderson will later testify that Dunge operated in the wrong place on Eford's 300 00:21:45,260 --> 00:21:50,359 back, that he amputated a nerve root, and that he botched the implantation of 301 00:21:50,360 --> 00:21:52,920 device meant to stabilize her spine. 302 00:21:54,590 --> 00:22:00,869 device he was trying to implant was supposed to uh end up in here 303 00:22:00,870 --> 00:22:07,689 in the middle of this space but the implant when i found it it was just 304 00:22:07,690 --> 00:22:12,229 floating in the muscle he just made a hole in the muscle with a coring device 305 00:22:12,230 --> 00:22:19,169 and and suspended the metallic implant in that space it was touching no 306 00:22:19,170 --> 00:22:23,110 bone i couldn't imagine anybody who had taken 307 00:22:23,850 --> 00:22:29,869 an anatomy course in medical school doing this much damage. That's how bad 308 00:22:29,870 --> 00:22:36,589 was. And so it occurred to me that this was an imposter who obviously had a few 309 00:22:36,590 --> 00:22:43,510 screws loose and was willing to pretend to be a surgeon. 310 00:22:45,390 --> 00:22:49,689 Wondering if the guy in Dallas is really the guy who completed a prestigious 311 00:22:49,690 --> 00:22:52,270 spine surgery fellowship in Memphis. 312 00:22:53,120 --> 00:22:55,660 Henderson calls Dunch's fellowship supervisor. 313 00:22:57,120 --> 00:23:03,099 I had obtained a picture of Dr. Dunch, and I faxed it to him 314 00:23:03,100 --> 00:23:07,739 while we were on the phone, and he confirmed that, yes, that was 315 00:23:07,740 --> 00:23:13,519 Dunch. Looking for more information, Henderson also records a call with the 316 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:15,640 director of Dunch's residency program. 317 00:23:15,860 --> 00:23:21,720 He hears about an alleged incident involving Dunch from back in late 2006. 318 00:23:22,830 --> 00:23:26,289 The year before his trip here, he got a phone call from the hospital 319 00:23:26,290 --> 00:23:33,089 administration saying that some woman had anonymously placed a phone call 320 00:23:33,090 --> 00:23:36,250 that he liked to do drugs before he went to operate. 321 00:23:36,251 --> 00:23:40,389 So I said, well, fine, send him down to his place. I'm going to get his urine 322 00:23:40,390 --> 00:23:46,409 checked. And he went down and checked in and said, I can't pee right now. I'll 323 00:23:46,410 --> 00:23:49,000 be back in an hour and disappeared for several days. 324 00:23:49,930 --> 00:23:54,689 And when he showed back up, obviously that prompted a referral to the impaired 325 00:23:54,690 --> 00:24:01,089 physicians group. And because of his university house staff, it was all 326 00:24:01,090 --> 00:24:05,889 by the university. And they sent him back to us after a period of being off 327 00:24:05,890 --> 00:24:11,109 evaluation and said, we don't find anything wrong, keep training him. So as 328 00:24:11,110 --> 00:24:12,950 as I know, he was okay. 329 00:24:15,070 --> 00:24:17,730 Though UT Memphis would not comment. 330 00:24:18,360 --> 00:24:23,159 The director of Dunch's residency program said he was advised Dunch was 331 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:25,640 impaired and that his training should resume. 332 00:24:26,300 --> 00:24:31,020 Dunch's fellowship supervisor says he was never informed of the incident. 333 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:37,039 These doctors said there were no failures in Dunch's residency training 334 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:42,179 fellowship and that they never observed any surgical issues with Dunch while he 335 00:24:42,180 --> 00:24:43,219 was in Tennessee. 336 00:24:43,220 --> 00:24:47,100 No issues with his procedures there are known to exist. 337 00:24:48,010 --> 00:24:52,409 The doctor who headed the UT neurosurgery department at the time of 338 00:24:52,410 --> 00:24:57,330 residency did not respond to multiple emailed requests for comment. 339 00:24:58,510 --> 00:25:04,449 But in an email, Dunge says he sometimes partied every night of the week, always 340 00:25:04,450 --> 00:25:09,889 showing up for residency five minutes before rounds. All the while, the 341 00:25:09,890 --> 00:25:11,530 neurosurgical resident. 342 00:25:12,460 --> 00:25:17,600 And in a video deposition, a transcript of which was filed in civil proceedings, 343 00:25:17,940 --> 00:25:22,819 a young woman who once dated Dunch's friend, Jerry Summers, testifies about 344 00:25:22,820 --> 00:25:24,580 Dunch during his residency. 345 00:25:25,120 --> 00:25:29,920 When was the first time you remember seeing Christopher Dunch use illegal 346 00:25:30,820 --> 00:25:32,880 It was at his birthday party. 347 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:38,740 There was LSD, acid, which is LSD, cocaine. 348 00:25:40,540 --> 00:25:45,579 Long after Dunge leaves Tennessee, the woman alleges that after witnessing 349 00:25:45,580 --> 00:25:51,799 dropping acid and hoovering up lines of coke, she sees him don a white lab coat 350 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:54,580 as he prepares to do rounds at a hospital. 351 00:25:55,120 --> 00:25:58,190 And he left to go to work? Left to go to work like it was nothing. 352 00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:04,360 After you had witnessed him doing cocaine and LSD all night long? 353 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:05,610 All night long. 354 00:26:05,900 --> 00:26:10,520 Dunch will later tell a reporter he's never had a drug and alcohol problem. 355 00:26:11,220 --> 00:26:15,819 After hearing the story about Dunch during his residency and seeing the 356 00:26:15,820 --> 00:26:21,580 of his surgeries in Texas, Dr. Henderson says he calls the Texas Medical Board. 357 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:27,719 Kirby, who says he's already called them, testifies he learns about Dunch's 358 00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:31,100 catastrophes and begins calling once a month. 359 00:26:32,270 --> 00:26:37,569 We tried everything we could, but, you know, it took a long time to get the 360 00:26:37,570 --> 00:26:39,029 moving in the right direction. 361 00:26:39,030 --> 00:26:42,349 And unfortunately, there were some patients that, you know, were injured 362 00:26:42,350 --> 00:26:43,189 of it. 363 00:26:43,190 --> 00:26:47,549 The board tells American Greed that in order to act, they need written 364 00:26:47,550 --> 00:26:52,909 complaints, that complex cases take time, and that changes to hospital 365 00:26:52,910 --> 00:26:54,270 require legislation. 366 00:26:55,880 --> 00:26:58,680 Up next, can Dr. Dunge be stopped? 367 00:26:58,681 --> 00:27:01,779 I have one last thing to remind the Texas Medical Board. 368 00:27:01,780 --> 00:27:06,139 Your mission is to protect the public. Dr. Dunge is a clear and present danger 369 00:27:06,140 --> 00:27:07,460 to the systems in Texas. 370 00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:09,330 Morning. 371 00:27:15,580 --> 00:27:20,659 Christopher Dunge has been operating in Dallas for just over a year, allegedly 372 00:27:20,660 --> 00:27:23,560 botching the surgeries of 10 patients. 373 00:27:24,220 --> 00:27:27,120 leaving one a quadriplegic and two others dead. 374 00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:33,599 But the doctor who says he has more education and degrees than God just 375 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:34,579 stop. 376 00:27:34,580 --> 00:27:38,979 Prosecutor Michelle Shugart will later argue at trial that a flawed system 377 00:27:38,980 --> 00:27:44,080 allows Dunge to slither between hospitals that she says failed the 378 00:27:45,770 --> 00:27:51,169 The financial incentives are a huge part of what was driving him and what was 379 00:27:51,170 --> 00:27:55,729 driving the people all around him to continue to believe in him and invest in 380 00:27:55,730 --> 00:27:58,560 him despite the fact that there were all these red flags. 381 00:27:58,670 --> 00:28:03,129 Luckily for him, Dallas Medical Center did not report him to the National 382 00:28:03,130 --> 00:28:04,770 Practitioner Data Bank either. 383 00:28:05,030 --> 00:28:07,390 And so his record was still clean. 384 00:28:07,850 --> 00:28:10,430 That's another one of those loopholes where... 385 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:14,799 He was never actually on full staff there. He just had temporary privileges. 386 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:19,719 you're not required to report somebody resigning temporary privileges under bad 387 00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:20,770 circumstances. 388 00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:23,700 In January 2013, 389 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:29,939 Dunge received surgery privileges at the Legacy Surgery Center of Frisco, whose 390 00:28:29,940 --> 00:28:35,279 new administrator tells American Read, the hospital now goes by a new name, has 391 00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:37,380 a new owner, and new managers. 392 00:28:38,570 --> 00:28:43,249 When hospitals look at somebody like Christopher Dunch, who has a great 393 00:28:43,250 --> 00:28:47,289 educational background and is a neurosurgeon, I think they see dollar 394 00:28:47,290 --> 00:28:53,609 because neurosurgeons are one of the most lucrative aspects of a 395 00:28:53,610 --> 00:28:54,870 hospital's business. 396 00:28:56,030 --> 00:29:00,650 Among the business Dunch brings in is patient Philip Mayfield. 397 00:29:01,490 --> 00:29:06,909 Mayfield is a father of three and a former Navy man who spent years driving 398 00:29:06,910 --> 00:29:07,960 truck. 399 00:29:07,961 --> 00:29:11,539 Being a truck driver and having to do a lot of driving, long -distance driving, 400 00:29:11,540 --> 00:29:17,900 a lot of hours and lifting a lot, I began to experience problems with my 401 00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:19,400 getting shocks and tingling. 402 00:29:19,620 --> 00:29:25,040 And then I recall one time I was lifting something and my arm gave out. 403 00:29:26,340 --> 00:29:31,019 After reading about Dunge on the Internet, Mayfield and his wife meet the 404 00:29:31,020 --> 00:29:35,539 who says his surgery will be one of thousands he's performed without 405 00:29:35,540 --> 00:29:36,590 complications. 406 00:29:37,930 --> 00:29:41,970 The surgery would take approximately, you know, 45 minutes. 407 00:29:43,330 --> 00:29:48,989 And the healing time from the surgery was, I think, I think approximately six 408 00:29:48,990 --> 00:29:50,040 eight weeks. 409 00:29:50,041 --> 00:29:53,749 And then I would be right back there, you know, driving trucks and doing what 410 00:29:53,750 --> 00:29:55,289 normally do. That's what he said. 411 00:29:55,290 --> 00:29:57,530 But it didn't turn out that way. 412 00:29:58,950 --> 00:30:03,850 When Mayfield comes to Legacy Surgery Center for his operation, his wife, 413 00:30:03,890 --> 00:30:06,030 Angela, waits for him up front. 414 00:30:07,360 --> 00:30:12,880 Dr. Dunst did come out of the surgery and told me that everything had gone 415 00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:16,919 So when I went back there in the back, I kind of noticed that he was just laying 416 00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:21,740 there. I was fading in and out. I could see everyone around me was, you know, 417 00:30:21,760 --> 00:30:25,380 the nurses were frantic. I was in a lot of pain, for sure. 418 00:30:25,660 --> 00:30:29,400 I remember I couldn't move from the neck down. 419 00:30:29,780 --> 00:30:35,580 What was going through my head at that time was, you know, what did he do to 420 00:30:36,650 --> 00:30:41,489 After being transported to another hospital, Mayfield finds out what Dunch 421 00:30:41,490 --> 00:30:42,269 to him. 422 00:30:42,270 --> 00:30:47,609 Another doctor will later testify the spine surgeon damaged his spinal cord 423 00:30:47,610 --> 00:30:53,789 a drill, leaving him with a leg that will never return to normal and pain 424 00:30:53,790 --> 00:30:55,630 will likely get worse over time. 425 00:30:56,050 --> 00:30:58,810 But Dunch still isn't done in Dallas. 426 00:30:59,170 --> 00:31:03,649 For months, doctors Randall Kirby and Robert Henderson have been trying to get 427 00:31:03,650 --> 00:31:06,280 the Texas Medical Board to stop Dunch. 428 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:12,899 In late May 2013, they learn he's landed at yet another facility, University 429 00:31:12,900 --> 00:31:15,880 General Hospital, which is now closed. 430 00:31:17,120 --> 00:31:20,640 I got an invitation to meet Christopher Dunch. 431 00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:25,019 They were going to have a big celebratory dinner for him. The 432 00:31:25,020 --> 00:31:29,879 putting this on, and so Henderson and I both got the invitation, and we went and 433 00:31:29,880 --> 00:31:32,540 ate, for lack of better words. 434 00:31:32,541 --> 00:31:36,959 You know, I called the owner of the hospital and I said, you're going to be 435 00:31:36,960 --> 00:31:38,010 big trouble. 436 00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:43,960 But Kirby testifies that the hospital lets Dunch keep his surgery privileges. 437 00:31:44,380 --> 00:31:49,279 The administrator Kirby said he spoke to did not respond to American Reed's 438 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:50,330 request for comment. 439 00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:56,079 Another official at University General told reporters that their decision to 440 00:31:56,080 --> 00:32:01,259 give Dunge privileges came after they received no negative information from 441 00:32:01,260 --> 00:32:03,800 Baylor Plano or Dallas Medical Center. 442 00:32:04,500 --> 00:32:08,540 Two weeks after his initial warning, Kirby's phone rings. 443 00:32:09,800 --> 00:32:13,859 The owner of the hospital said that they had a patient that Dr. Dunge had done a 444 00:32:13,860 --> 00:32:18,479 cervical fusion on that had a hole in his esophagus and a retained sponge and 445 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:19,800 was septic and about to die. 446 00:32:20,680 --> 00:32:25,139 According to findings by the state medical board, in addition to puncturing 447 00:32:25,140 --> 00:32:30,540 patient's esophagus, Dunch has left a surgical sponge inside his body. 448 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:36,300 Then he's sewn him up and failed to deal with the complications he's created. 449 00:32:37,320 --> 00:32:39,500 I mean, it was the worst. 450 00:32:40,500 --> 00:32:46,359 I mean, I'd never seen anything like it. It was like a maniac went in there and 451 00:32:46,360 --> 00:32:49,160 purposely hurt the patient and left. 452 00:32:50,110 --> 00:32:55,589 According to news reports, by this time, the Texas Medical Board has already 453 00:32:55,590 --> 00:32:58,670 received multiple calls about Dunch. 454 00:32:59,110 --> 00:33:03,309 There were lots of complaints early on from those patients, even at Baylor 455 00:33:03,310 --> 00:33:07,429 Plano, and he went to three other hospitals after that, and they continue 456 00:33:07,430 --> 00:33:08,480 complaints. 457 00:33:08,850 --> 00:33:14,629 Now, Kirby packages up files on five patients and sends them to the board 458 00:33:14,630 --> 00:33:16,110 with an urgent warning. 459 00:33:17,550 --> 00:33:21,669 The Texas Medical Board must stop the sociopath Dunge immediately or he will 460 00:33:21,670 --> 00:33:23,909 continue to maim and kill innocent patients. 461 00:33:23,910 --> 00:33:26,680 I have one last thing to remind the Texas Medical Board. 462 00:33:26,890 --> 00:33:31,289 Your mission is to protect the public. Dr. Dunge is a clear and present danger 463 00:33:31,290 --> 00:33:32,590 to the citizens of Texas. 464 00:33:33,510 --> 00:33:38,969 Kirby's letter is impossible to ignore, and he says it finally forces the board 465 00:33:38,970 --> 00:33:39,809 to act. 466 00:33:39,810 --> 00:33:41,030 They asked Dr. 467 00:33:41,250 --> 00:33:46,450 Martin Lazar to review four of Dunge's cases, and days after Kirby writes them, 468 00:33:46,970 --> 00:33:49,730 they temporarily suspend Dunch's license. 469 00:33:50,230 --> 00:33:52,910 That December, they revoke it altogether. 470 00:33:54,750 --> 00:34:00,050 After 18 months, Dunch's days as a Dallas surgeon have come to an end. 471 00:34:00,470 --> 00:34:06,029 But as prosecutor Michelle Shugart points out, Dunch has already harmed 33 472 00:34:06,030 --> 00:34:09,969 patients. For them, it's too little, too late. 473 00:34:10,790 --> 00:34:15,909 Up next, Dunch heads to trial, and the jury hears his disturbing words. 474 00:34:16,590 --> 00:34:22,729 What I am being is what I am, one of a kind, a mother, stone cold killer that 475 00:34:22,730 --> 00:34:27,230 can buy or own or steal or ruin or build whatever he wants. 476 00:34:44,730 --> 00:34:49,269 Christopher Dunch's case lands on the desk of Dallas County Assistant District 477 00:34:49,270 --> 00:34:51,110 Attorney Michelle Shugart. 478 00:34:52,070 --> 00:34:57,249 When we first got this case, we tried to see if there were any other cases like 479 00:34:57,250 --> 00:35:02,469 it where doctors had been prosecuted for things they did in a surgery, and we 480 00:35:02,470 --> 00:35:04,640 just couldn't find anything like it at all. 481 00:35:04,930 --> 00:35:10,679 To help her understand the complex medical issues at play, Shugart consults 482 00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:14,280 Drs. Martin Lazar, Robert Henderson, and Randall Kirby. 483 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:19,059 Most of the time, you don't have physicians who are willing to testify 484 00:35:19,060 --> 00:35:23,999 other physicians, but in this case, they were demanding to. They were insisting 485 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:25,640 on somebody listening to them. 486 00:35:26,840 --> 00:35:32,519 After Shugart receives their help, police arrest Dunch at a hotel in Dallas 487 00:35:32,520 --> 00:35:33,720 July 2015. 488 00:35:33,721 --> 00:35:38,149 Hi, Dad, this is Christopher. I was supposed to come home tonight, as you 489 00:35:38,150 --> 00:35:39,210 and I'm not now. 490 00:35:40,150 --> 00:35:44,809 Unexpectedly, the police came and picked me up regarding the DA issues that I 491 00:35:44,810 --> 00:35:45,860 mentioned to you. 492 00:35:48,230 --> 00:35:50,030 In February 2017, 493 00:35:50,870 --> 00:35:56,009 Dunge goes to trial on a single charge of injuring an elderly person, his 494 00:35:56,010 --> 00:35:57,270 patient Mary Evert. 495 00:35:57,850 --> 00:36:02,530 Over Dunge's objection, jurors will hear from many other victims. 496 00:36:03,440 --> 00:36:07,799 But the case centers around the charge involving Everett's care, which brings 497 00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:10,340 with it the possibility of a life sentence. 498 00:36:11,260 --> 00:36:14,360 I had excruciating pain. 499 00:36:15,980 --> 00:36:19,200 I've never had pain like that before. 500 00:36:20,040 --> 00:36:25,719 It was just almost, it was a 10 plus, if you know what that means, on a scale of 501 00:36:25,720 --> 00:36:26,770 1 to 10. 502 00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:32,699 Shugart argues that because of earlier failures, Dunge should have known he was 503 00:36:32,700 --> 00:36:34,160 likely to hurt Evert. 504 00:36:34,740 --> 00:36:36,960 His lawyers place blame elsewhere. 505 00:36:37,720 --> 00:36:41,330 They didn't even try to defend the things that he had done in the surgery. 506 00:36:41,500 --> 00:36:46,479 So instead, they went with the idea that basically it was everybody else's 507 00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:51,159 fault. It was either the people who trained him didn't train him right, or 508 00:36:51,160 --> 00:36:55,120 hospital that he was working at should have stopped him. 509 00:36:55,450 --> 00:36:57,980 Anybody's fault except for Christopher Dunch's. 510 00:36:58,610 --> 00:37:04,510 But Shugart argues Dunch knew exactly what he was doing and chose not to stop. 511 00:37:05,550 --> 00:37:11,829 She shows the jury the chilling email he sent on December 9, 2011, right as his 512 00:37:11,830 --> 00:37:14,830 first surgeries in Dallas were starting to go wrong. 513 00:37:16,410 --> 00:37:20,670 What I am being is what I am, one of a kind, a mother. 514 00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:27,139 stone cold killer that can buy or own or steal or ruin or build whatever he 515 00:37:27,140 --> 00:37:28,190 wants. 516 00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:32,640 On February 14th, the jury reaches their verdict. 517 00:37:34,220 --> 00:37:40,059 When the jury unanimously finds Christopher Daniels guilty of 518 00:37:40,060 --> 00:37:44,859 intentionally or knowingly causing serious bodily injury to an elderly 519 00:37:44,860 --> 00:37:45,910 individual. 520 00:37:48,650 --> 00:37:54,609 Just one week later, Dunch receives a life sentence, a move that some see as 521 00:37:54,610 --> 00:37:57,910 only way to stop him from practicing medicine ever again. 522 00:37:58,890 --> 00:38:04,629 Now, the woman who once dreamt Dunch would be her Prince Charming hears from 523 00:38:04,630 --> 00:38:05,830 only by phone. 524 00:38:06,350 --> 00:38:08,410 He has a job inside the prison. 525 00:38:08,610 --> 00:38:10,090 I don't know what it is. 526 00:38:11,130 --> 00:38:15,949 He works out, he reads, he studies the Bible, you know, he'll call and say 527 00:38:15,950 --> 00:38:17,030 goodnight to his boys. 528 00:38:17,180 --> 00:38:22,260 Sometimes he'll have bedtime stories and try to be as normal as possible. 529 00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:28,659 For those who suffered by his hand, seeing Dunst locked up brings some sense 530 00:38:28,660 --> 00:38:29,710 closure. 531 00:38:29,760 --> 00:38:35,720 But nothing can alleviate the pain still felt by victims like Phillip Mayfield. 532 00:38:37,100 --> 00:38:38,660 It's on another level. 533 00:38:39,240 --> 00:38:44,420 You know, I had times where the nerve pain would be so bad that my skin would, 534 00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:46,600 you know, burn and peel. 535 00:38:47,240 --> 00:38:53,139 Headaches that were just, you know, blinding. I've had times where my whole 536 00:38:53,140 --> 00:38:54,220 just shuts down. 537 00:38:54,440 --> 00:38:55,960 Literally, it shuts down. 538 00:38:56,320 --> 00:38:57,370 And I'm out. 539 00:38:58,160 --> 00:39:03,020 According to trial testimony, Mayfield is not alone in his suffering. 540 00:39:03,790 --> 00:39:10,389 Based upon my clients alone, I can tell you we have multiple 541 00:39:10,390 --> 00:39:17,090 instances of severe spinal cord damage resulting in paraplegia, 542 00:39:17,150 --> 00:39:23,689 spastic quadriplegia, horrific 24 -7 pain 543 00:39:23,690 --> 00:39:28,310 that cannot be controlled with any amount of medicine. 544 00:39:28,650 --> 00:39:31,090 And then there's the people who... 545 00:39:31,690 --> 00:39:37,190 Practically bled to death, but didn't bleed to death and lived. 546 00:39:37,930 --> 00:39:40,930 And those are the success stories, I suppose. 547 00:39:43,110 --> 00:39:47,610 Some patients testify they are homebound and have lost jobs. 548 00:39:48,850 --> 00:39:54,349 Others, like Dunch's one -time best friend Jerry Summers, have said Dr. 549 00:39:54,350 --> 00:39:58,170 botched surgeries did more than just wreck their bodies. 550 00:39:59,150 --> 00:40:01,380 What kinds of activities do you miss doing? 551 00:40:05,170 --> 00:40:11,749 Generally everything because nothing 552 00:40:11,750 --> 00:40:14,950 is much fun anymore. 553 00:40:19,270 --> 00:40:21,390 How do you feel about Chris these days? 554 00:40:34,090 --> 00:40:37,530 I don't know. I don't really know. 555 00:40:38,450 --> 00:40:43,389 Though numerous lawsuits have been filed involving Dutch and the hospitals where 556 00:40:43,390 --> 00:40:47,650 he operated, many were settled with no admission of wrongdoing. 557 00:40:48,190 --> 00:40:52,150 Still, many ask, how did it all go so wrong? 558 00:40:52,470 --> 00:40:58,529 How did such a seemingly promising doctor do so much damage? And why didn't 559 00:40:58,530 --> 00:40:59,580 stop himself? 560 00:41:00,610 --> 00:41:02,150 Dutch was so... 561 00:41:03,900 --> 00:41:10,519 so desperate, and so completely unwilling to accept the fact that 562 00:41:10,520 --> 00:41:16,219 he was incapable of doing a good job, that he was hurting people and taking 563 00:41:16,220 --> 00:41:18,200 himself out of the equation. 564 00:41:18,820 --> 00:41:24,419 His debt was definitely one of those factors that had him just keep going. He 565 00:41:24,420 --> 00:41:28,719 needed this money, so he had to keep operating and doing these things. And 566 00:41:28,720 --> 00:41:29,800 others wonder... 567 00:41:30,090 --> 00:41:35,110 If Dunge was incapable of stopping himself, why didn't somebody else step 568 00:41:35,570 --> 00:41:38,450 It's the whole system that didn't stop him. 569 00:41:38,670 --> 00:41:40,950 I think they say he started this like in 2011. 570 00:41:41,450 --> 00:41:44,710 My surgery was in April the 9th of 2013. 571 00:41:44,950 --> 00:41:46,710 Why was he even allowed to touch me? 572 00:41:47,270 --> 00:41:51,249 You know, knowing that he had harmed so many patients before me. There was an 573 00:41:51,250 --> 00:41:54,090 enormous failure, almost like a perfect storm. 574 00:41:54,410 --> 00:41:56,530 There's blood on a lot of people's hands. 575 00:41:57,170 --> 00:42:03,199 Many of the decisions that were made, In this case, by multiple people along the 576 00:42:03,200 --> 00:42:09,019 line who had the legal obligation and the moral obligation to do the right 577 00:42:09,020 --> 00:42:14,539 thing, their decision -making was colored and tainted by financial 578 00:42:14,540 --> 00:42:20,680 considerations. And that is just wrong on every level that I can imagine. 579 00:42:20,730 --> 00:42:25,280 Repair and Synchronization by Easy Subtitles Synchronizer 1.0.0.0 54765

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