Inside Edition has interviewed several of Dr. Christopher Duntsch's patients, who accused him of intentionally maiming them while under the influence. Duntsch was sentenced to life in prison.
A new crime drama called “Dr. Death” is inspired by the true story of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, an infamous Texas surgeon who allegedly intentionally maimed multiple patients during surgery, two of whom died.
Actor Joshua Jackson plays Duntsch, who once billed himself as the best neurosurgeon in Dallas.
Inside Edition has interviewed several of the doctor’s patients, who accused him of intentionally maiming them while under the influence.
Jacqueline Troy only has a whisper of a voice after Duntsch paralyzed her vocal cord during surgery. “I didn’t know if I would survive,” she said.
Jeff Cheney says Duntsch mistakenly removed part of his spinal cord, leaving the right side of his body paralyzed.
“I was horrified. I was speechless,” Cheney said.
Mary Efurd calls Duntsch a butcher. She says his incompetence put her in a wheelchair.
“He took away my life,” said Efurd, who later testified at his trial. “I said he will never touch me again.”
Dr. Robert Henderson was one of the first to blow the whistle on his colleague.
“This is almost literally a serial killer,” Henderson said.
In the NBC series streaming on Peacock, Henderson is played by Alec Baldwin. In the show, he and actor Christian Slater wage a crusade to keep “Dr. Death” from operating again.
Lisa Guerrero caught up with Duntsch in 2014 before he was sent to prison.
“I spoke to a doctor who said you were like a serial killer, do you have a response to that?” Guerrero asked.
“Yes, I’ll deal with that in the context of libel later when I’ve defended myself,” Duntsch said.
Duntsch was the first doctor in the nation to be sentenced to life in jail for his practice of medicine.
