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So, the other big mystery as you already pointed out was like, how did the medical system allow this to happen? Philip Mayfield, one of Christopher Duntschs patients, who was paralyzed after his surgery. So, yeah, I think the fact that he was in a profession that brings in a lot of money for hospitals was certainly a factor. Like a lot of these podcasts, they do start out as a mystery, or they have a big plot twist in the middle. So, while I wish that the administrations acted sooner, at the end of the day, and this is something that I've said for quite a bit now, Christopher Duntsch deserves to be in jail for the rest of his life, because how he acted was completely inhuman and any human that had that ability to feel would have stopped after the first or second surgeries. I kind of wanted there to be three hours more of that, but when I was listening to it with some friends, they were putting their hands over their heads and saying No, no, no! They never turned it off though, which I think is telling, but it seemed like they were having a hard time listening. Duntsch is a former Dallas neurosurgeon who, through . In Canada, health is a right. He thinks he's the hero of this story. I know youve done this for a long time, but what are some of the things you have to be careful about in reporting a story like this? The podcast series and ProPublica report that Duntsch was ordered by the university to take a drug test, but managed to avoid it. And also, I knew that I was dealing with a story that probably half the listeners from the first episode were going to Google and find out the end. Despite her qualifications as a reporter, Beil was also a podcast newbie. On paper, Duntsch was a star pick for any hospital system once he completed his residency, thanks to years of research and study of the use of stem cells and several strong recommendations from his prior supervisors. 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He performed only one surgery with the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute. Its not just the story of Christopher Duntsch, its a story about the American healthcare system. Out July 15, Dr. Death introduces viewers to Christopher Duntsch, a real-life Texas-based surgeon who in 2017 was sentenced to life in prison after maiming and even killing almost all of the nearly 40 patients he operated on between 2011 and 2013. In June 2013, Duntschs medical license was suspended and fully revoked later that December. Those are the words that Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a Dallas neurosurgeon, wrote to his girlfriend in 2011 in the midst of a two-year period that left 33 of his 38 patients maimed, wounded or. We went into a mode of trying to figure out how to fill those shoes. The former American neurosurgeon was convicted for gross malpractice of maiming . And then in this case, it seems like if there is a mystery its just, what is this guys deal? MACMANUS: I think that it was our intent to present the facts as we saw them in our research, and again, allow audiences to draw from them as they will. Duntsch declined a reporter's request for a jailhouse interview Tuesday. Was a Dallas Surgeon Stoned When He Maimed His Patients?Surgery is scary enough, but when you hear what happened to some people it may seem downright terrifying. JACKSON: Well, it's not. So the outcomes are totally evil, and it is unconscionable that this man was allowed to continue to create this much chaos and pain in people's lives. Did you feel a need to go talk to Christopher Duntsch in prison? You did have a crusading whistleblower character in there. JACKSON: Well, actually, I think it's even one step scarier than that. See Kim's most controversial Met Gala looks after 'offensive' Marilyn gown, Inside Teen Mom Jenelle's ex Andrew's humble New York life away from Jace, Kourtney Kardashians thin frame drowns in baggy jeans as she rocks sultry red lips, Wheel of Fortune brings back contestant 'treated unfairly' in rare gesture, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Jerry Summers, who died earlier this year, claimed Christopher Duntsch gave him his 'first hit of acid', Christopher, known as Dr Death, was Jerry's friend and the surgeon who performed the botched operation on him in 2011, Jerry claimed he'd 'never taken a hit of acid' before doing so with Christopher, Along with a docuseries, Peacock also has a Dr Death scripted show, where Joshua Jackson plays the titular character, Dr Death - Trailer for the Peacock series based on the true story of Christopher Duntsch. He toldLocal Memphisin 2014 that he woke up from the surgery paralyzed, which ultimately left him a quadriplegic. So what do you think, is he just crazy? Over this period, Duntsch performed back surgeries that left his patients in a worse condition, paralyzed, or deceased. Based on true events, as documented in the Wondery podcast, the series stars Joshua Jackson as Christopher Duntsch, a Texas physician who repeatedly crippled or killed patients in his care through surgeries which were either grossly incompetent or malicious. And so, he was an attractive hire. It mightve taken longer. And the fact that the system failed doesnt absolve him of the responsibility of what he did, and I want to make that clear. Only years later would the Dallas district attorneys office discover through a search of hospital records that although a typical neurosurgery resident completes about 1,000 operations during their training, Duntsch had actually done fewer than 100. For example, I never knew before I started this that I had such strong feelings about sound effects. So the training craft is being downloaded to a new generation of people whose faces look much more diverse than just a bunch of me-s. And that's good, but we're not there yet. The medical boards will protect themselves. Dr. Death in surgery. In Dr. Death theres no question as to who the killer is, but there are still a few mysteries to unravel. Here, Macmanus talks about how he first discovered the ghastly true story behind Dr. Death which stars Joshua Jackson and drops today on Peacock -- and whether he thinks Duntsch is truly crazy. And what did it mean to you to have an all female directing team? Dirty John would seem hard to top the story of a psychotic con-man who spent his days playing Counter Strike, posing as a doctor and telling fake war stories. And then there were comments that he made himself on the Dallas Observer article [about him]. You had people on crutches. Tulsa Hospital Shooting Suspect Was a Patient Who Had Recent Back Surgery and Targeted His Doctor: Cops, One Brother Was a Hero, One Was a Serial Killer: New Docuseries Explores the Stayner Family's Plight. Right? (An exclusive trailer is shown below.). The patient Duntsch operated on continues to walk with a cane and lives with chronic pain. Left: Christopher Duntsch in surgery, Right: Christopher Duntschs mugshot. Its interesting, because when I heard at the premiere, people were reacting to things that I didnt anticipate them reacting to. Prior to serving as Senior TV Editor at Collider, her work had been published by Vulture, Variety, The AV Club, The Hollywood Reporter, IGN, The Verge, and Thought Catalog. The Peacock limited series, based on the Wondery podcast, covers the true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch (played by Joshua Jackson ), whose surgical career ruined the lives of numerous. What are the potential pitfalls for you as a reporter? "I am 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.". A CT scan would later reveal that Efurds nerve root had been amputated, there were several screw holes nowhere near where they were supposed to be, and one screw had been lodged in another nerve root. Yeah, I do, and theres another one that comes in later. Here are seven chilling statements from that email: Unfortunately, you cannot understand that I really am building an empire, and I am so far outside the box that the earth is small and the sun is bright. Yeah, I think the fact that he was a neurosurgeon was also a contributor. My instinct was that the only way, that this man has to be evil, because there has to be a reason why all of this spectacularly bad stuff happened and the simplest and easiest answers he's evil. Right? I spoke to her by phone this week about the series itself, and about the challenges of working in a new medium. Right? Right? No. One conversation in Peacocks first episode of Dr. Death sums up the confusion many felt at watching Duntsch work: It was like he knew what he was supposed to do and he did the exact opposite.. And so, that was one of my goals to start out with, is to just report the hell out of it. Floella Brown went under Dr. Deaths knife in July 2012 and shortly after her surgery, she suffered a massive stroke caused by Duntsch slicing her vertebral artery during surgery. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. She came in to have two vertebrae fused, but when she woke up she experienced severe pain and couldnt stand. In the Canadian system, you go for care first, and then you pay a couple of times a year into the system. Duntsch, sentenced to life in prison in February 2017, is believed to be the first surgeon sentenced to go to prison for a botched surgery, according to USA Today. The pair were childhood friends and eventually became roommates. Because Im on there clearly, but when you can tell it through the tape, its so much better. Death': "He Thinks He's the Hero of This Story", 'Dr. He was putting stuff in the wrong place. Im the only clean minimally invasive guy in the whole state.. Things seemed to be moving along smoothly. So, to be able to have someone who a true believer in the system in Henderson play up against somebody who is, for lack of a better or more tropy word, a maverick within the system, in Dr. Kirby, and to have a character like Kirby who infuses humor into everything that he does, the real life character, I think, we underplayed his humor quite frankly, was a blessing or a gift as you say to us as writers. That was probably the biggest adjustment for me, was just the spareness of the script. Such significant injuries should have been never eventssomething that should never occur in an operating room, a surgeon told D Magazine, which covers the Dallas-Fort Worth area, in a 2016 piece that inspired the eventual Dr. Death podcast. So, we've taken steps and that's good, but I think it's a totally valid thing to ask because we're not there yet. Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles. The former neurosurgeon is currently serving a life sentence for the maiming of Mary Efurd, one of. Two patients died, one from significant blood loss after the operation and the other from a stroke caused by a cut vertebral artery. I think Patrickhe chose a very difficult path of how to tell this story, particularly by centering Duntsch. You just reminded me, that was another danger that we were really grappling with. had hundreds, but I figured the most important ones were the ones that play a role in the trial. Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action Little Mermaid with a new generation's Ariel. I couldve done more, like, the actual surgical details, but listening to it with other people, I could see how youd want to leave some of that out. Death. Peacock released the series to complement its scripted portrayal of the story, Dr. Death, which released a couple of weeks ago and stars Joshua Jackson as the titular character. What can I find out about this guy? It sort of just blew that flame into a full-fledged conflagration -- not because the hospitals were necessarily to blame, but his education. It was fun to write these two characters. How much do you think that affected Duntschs decision to become a neurosurgeon in the first place? I sort of equate it to a plane crash. Yeah, that was a concern. Following his blunders, Duntsch resigned from Baylor Plano in April 2012 before they could fire him. There was one. One lucky person actually improved. His first drug of choice would be cocaine.. You have these compelling heroes in Henderson and Kirby that are unlike, in my opinion, unlike other quote-unquote "heroes" in the true crime space, because these are two who are taking down one of their own. I believe that it was an outgrowth of the fact that by the time these administrations caught up with what he was doing, they had already moved him on. And then I believe it absolutely became a full-blown fire when he went through school and went through the different hospitals, administrations that he went through because he wasn't stopped. Dr. Death executive producer explains how Christopher Duntsch could have avoided prison The charismatic neurosurgeon was actually a successful researcher before he starting killing people in the. Christopher Duntsch was allowed to keep on moving because he himself represented value in the specialty that he was in, in frankly, the face that he presented, he was valuable to these institutions. And the other part of it, is that the reason that it kind of starts out like that is you really need to know from the outset how bad a surgeon he was. That was the thing that people around me were really reacting to. They never would've made it to 38 surgeries. Duntsch took careful steps to put across the image of a hardworking, competent and caring person and doctor. Hed had a whole string of bad surgeries before it even came to the attention of the medical board. Follow her on Twitter at @lizlet. So we shot the episodes in three different bricks. In this case, Duntsch remained a popular hire in part because neurosurgeons bring more revenue to the hospitals they work for than nearly any other medical specialty, and officials are unlikely to second-guess a candidate with stellar credentials and recommendations. He was even part of a group that founded the biopharmaceutical company Discgenicswhich focuses on developing regenerative cell-based therapies to help with painand brought on two of his mentors in surgery as investors. I believe that being born as a narcissistic sociopath was encouraged by his upbringing. ", "You, my child, are the only one between me and the other side. So, tell me about the genesis of Dr. Death, and how it grew out of Dirty John. And that was just one case from Baylor-Plano. "Between god, Einstein and the antichrist", Anyone close to me thinks that I likely am something between god, Einstein and the antichrist. Sure, yeah. Some are on the tape, some are not, just for space reasons. Kirby, along with Dr. Robert Henderson (played in the series by Alec Baldwin), a spine surgeon who had been called in to fix Duntschs mistakes, were among the physicians who reported and attempted to stop him. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison. So it was lovely to get to know her again as a director and just see how she has grown and blossomed and thrown herself into that role. White men also have stories to tell. (He was later let go from the company over money issues). The show was Dr. Death, from Wondery, the same podcast production company that brought us Dirty John, last years thoroughly addictive series about a stalker/con artist who inserted himself into one Orange County family and nearly tore them apart. Duntsch, 44, is being held in the Dallas County Jail on $600,000 bail on charges involving the death of one patient. And, that is something that I've talked about dating back three years ago I don't want to undermine whatever modicum of talent that I brought to the table, I definitely don't want to undermine our writers because if it weren't for them, we wouldn't have the show that we have, but it was, in many ways, a ready baked-in story, right? And what happened after shows how Duntsch was able to continue working as a surgeon in Texas, despite the trail of broken trust, chronic pain and death he left behind. Does that make sense? The last hospital to employ Duntsch was the now-shuttered University General, where he botched another surgery after he mistook a patients neck muscle for a tumor. However, things soon went south. We would be lauding him for what he was doing because to this day, several of his patents are still being used in the use of stem cells and neurosurgery. And I, as an actor, want to have the ability to work for the whole smorgasbord of humanity as my directors, as my costars, as my writers, because it makes the stories that we're telling more compelling, not less. It's a complicated plank that he tried to walk. Did you find out if this guy was torturing animals as a child or anything like that? I mean, the guy who you think is guilty from the first episode really is guilty. Patrick Macmanus also explains why the show's supporting characters were such a gift. He had a very small but vitally important role. The one where EW follows up with the cast. Well, let me think for a second. It was the status, because his friend Rand Page, said that he actually never intended to be a neurosurgeon, that he was gonna work at this [stem cell treatment] company and make his fortune there. And we did have full access to doctors as well as Laura Beil, who did the original Dr. Death podcast. Magazines, Digital And the medical board was the only ones that could really stop him, but they didnt know. So it really came down to the reporting and the telling of the story itself. How much of his crazy emails and phone messages did you have to throw out in order to focus on the main story? What do you think are some of the contributing factors? He is currently housed in the O.B. Do you mind mentioning any of those? Thanks to the system, though, Duntsch was able to keep working and hurting people until two of his fellow doctors, Randall Kirby and Robert Henderson (played respectively by Christian Slater and Alec Baldwin), were able to expose him and put him behind bars. Of those 38, 31 were leftparalyzed or seriously injured and two of them died from surgical complications. Out of his 38 surgeries, only three had no complications. But everyone around him, not wittingly or willingly, ended up sort of encouraging all of his worst attributes. Duntsch, 44, is being held inthe Dallas County Jail on $600,000 bail on charges involving the death of one patient and the injuring of four others. But in reality, you don't see a whole lot until the finale. They suffer with everything from agonizing spinal problems to severely damaged vocal chords and they say their problems are the result of botched surgery performed by the same surgeon, a doctor many of them claim is a butcher and a drug addict. Duntsch was fired after he performed a surgery and immediately left for Las Vegas, leaving no one to look after his patient. And I had none of those things. Planes dont crash because one big thing goes wrong. Duntsch received his undergraduate degree from the University of Memphis and stayed in town to receive an M.D. We went out of our way to let your imagination do the work. And by doing that, then you also bring in his patients. I don't think anybody but Christopher Duntsch can answer that question. He joined the publication in 2021 on the crime beat. From a creative standpoint, what is so unfortunate about the fact that you need to ask that question, and it's a totally valid question is, one would have hoped that we would have always understood that the more diverse and the better quality voices that we have in telling stories, the better the industry is as a whole. The nightmare at the center of Dr. Death, a new Peacock drama inspired by the 2018 true crime podcast of the same name from Wondery, involves a surgeon who seems intent on using his scalpel to destroy the lives of his patientsand a medical system content to let him skate by. "You were a major in a military organization, and that is the only reason you can have a slight inkling of the manner in which I want you to treat me and respect me". I do believe he was born as a narcissistic sociopath. Dr. Death begins streaming today on Peacock. Both the scripted Dr. Death series and the Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story docuseries are now streaming on Peacock.

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