Anesthesiologist is found GUILTY of turning patients' IV bags into 'poison ... trends now
The Dallas anesthesiologist accused of poisoning IV bags with dangerous drugs has been found guilty in federal court.
Dr. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr., 61, reportedly showed no emotion as the verdict was read Friday, in Dallas's Earle Cabell Federal Building following a less than monthlong trial.
A colleague's death spurred the doctor's downfall - after she took home one of the tainted bags to treat her dehydration and suddenly died. Cardiac emergencies in 11 patients also caused cops to hone in on Ortiz, who now faces 190 years in prison.
The strongest evidence, one juror said, was video of the accused filling syringes with multiple drugs the day of one of the victims' operations - the very same drugs he had been accused of injecting into IV bags. An anesthesiologist testified that there is no reasonable explanation for the actions seen in the footage.
The doctor who died's widower said one of the agonizing moments of the trial was seeing this newly released video, which prosecutors said proved Ortiz repurposed the bags into 'poison bombs', designed to explode on unsuspecting people.
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The doctor accused of poisoning IV bags with dangerous drugs was found guilty of four counts of tampering with consumer products resulting in serious bodily injury, a count of tampering with a consumer product, and five counts of intentional adulteration of a drug in court Friday
Dr. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr., 61, reportedly showed no emotion as the verdict was read Friday, in Dallas's Earle Cabell Federal Building following a less than monthlong trial.
'Him filling the syringes in the pre-op room, you can transpose what he did to Jack that day, to my wife. Tough to see,' John Kaspar, spouse of the late Melanie Kaspar, told Fox 4 following the verdict, referencing the video taken the day before 18-year-old Jack Adlerstein received one of the tainted bags.
'Him filling the syringes in the pre-op room, you can transpose what he did to Jack that day, to my wife. Tough to see,' he added, after Adlerstein's doctors testified he nearly died on the operating room table.
Ortiz is seen putting the syringes into his pockets in the clip - one of several shown to jurors throughout proceedings in Northern Texas District Court.
Others showed Ortiz placing IV bags into a warmer minutes before they were used, and just before a patient suddenly went into cardiac arrest.
Others showed Ortiz looking on as victims were wheeled out by emergency responders, while others show him fiddling with vials of drugs and IV bags before big operations.
In one, Ortiz walks around the hall outside the OR while looking to see if anyone is watching, before opening a warmer to briefly look inside ang shut it again.
The US attorney's office for Northern District of Texas said that in each case, not long after the footage was taken, the bags were carried into operating rooms where patients experienced complications.
The strongest evidence, one juror said, was video of the accused filling syringes with multiple drugs the day of one of the victims' operations - the very same drugs he had been accused of injecting into IV bags, seen here
An anesthesiologist testified that there is no reasonable explanation for the actions seen in the footage
The doctor who died's widower said one of the agonizing moments of the trial was seeing this newly released video, which prosecutors said proved Ortiz repurposed the bags into 'poison bombs', designed to explode on unsuspecting people
'Him filling the syringes in the pre-op room, you can transpose what he did to Jack that day, to my wife. Tough to see,' John Kaspar, widow of Melanie Kaspar, said, referencing the video taken the day before an 18-year-old received one of the tainted bags and nearly died
The video was one of many shown to jurors throughout proceedings in Northern Texas District Court, which began toward the start of the month, on April 3
In one, Ortiz is seen watching as a 57-year-old patient is wheeled out by paramedics in the midst of her medical
