A Georgetown University-trained plastic surgeon was arrested Monday on suspicion of causing his wife’s death when she went into cardiac arrest after performing a series of cosmetic procedures on him.
Authorities say Benjamin Jacob Brown, 41, did not call 911 for nearly 20 minutes after his wife, Hillary Ellington Brown, suffered a seizure on an operating table at his Gulf Breeze, Florida, office last November.
The victim, who has three children from a previous relationship, is said to have taken “large amounts of medication” before and also participated in the surgery.
According to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, she stitched up the incision in her abdomen herself.
Brown turned himself in on Monday after a judge issued a warrant for his arrest on a charge of manslaughter, a second-degree felony. He was released on bond.
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Florida surgeon Ben Brown is accused of murdering his wife, Hilary Brown. (Instagram/Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Office)
The Florida Department of Health filed for emergency restrictions on Brown’s medical license following the death of his wife.
The order stated that she was scheduled to undergo surgery at Restore Plastic Surgery on Nov. 21, 2023, including liposuction, lip injections and ear reshaping.
According to the arrest warrant, staff members told investigators that Brown’s wife had no medical training but had prepared her own IV bag filled with anesthetic before her husband began the procedure.
The surgeon administered additional anesthesia but did not specify what was used or record the amount administered, the documents state.
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Florida surgeon Ben Brown is facing manslaughter charges in the death of his wife, Hilary Ellington Brown, who died from an overdose of lidocaine during a series of cosmetic surgery procedures. (Facebook)
One former employee said Brown deliberately gave his wife more anesthesia than was appropriate for her petite frame.
“She stated Brown called the victim a ‘little alien’ and knowingly administered excessive amounts of drugs to her,” the warrant states.
While the abdominal procedure was being performed, the victim “became restless and began to have leg spasms,” according to the warrant.
The condition worsened during liposuction surgery on her arms.
According to the sheriff’s office, she was already showing signs of “lidocaine intoxication,” but Brown allegedly injected a more concentrated lidocaine solution into her face.
“Her vision began to become blurred and she told Dr. Brown she was seeing ‘orange,'” but then she became unresponsive and began having seizures.
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Florida surgeon Ben Brown is accused of murdering his wife after performing a series of cosmetic surgery procedures on her. (Instagram)
Several employees asked if they should call 911, but Brown told them to wait and said he would handle her problem himself.
Her life support machine had failed, so the surgeon instructed staff to search for an oxygen tank and a stethoscope, but they could not find the vital supplies.
The surgeon finally relented and instructed staff to call 911.
She was rushed to Ascension Sacred Heart Emergency Medical Center in Pensacola, where she was put on life support but died a week later.
According to the Pensacola News Journal, Brown posted an emotional message on social media shortly after her hospitalization, calling her his “soulmate.”
“Please pray for a miracle. Hillary went into cardiac arrest Tuesday afternoon. We called 911 and began CPR. Her heart has returned but her brain is not doing well,” he posted on Nov. 24.
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Dr. Ben Brown is accused of murdering his wife, Hilary Brown, in November 2023 during a cosmetic surgery procedure. (Facebook)
“She has been in a coma since losing consciousness on Tuesday. Hilary Ellington Brown, you are my soulmate, my world, my everything. Please come back. Please!”
But his wife’s father had little sympathy for Brown, blaming his daughter’s death entirely on his “pride and arrogance.”
“Ben Brown robbed my grandchildren of their mother — my only daughter and our brightest star. Hillary made the ultimate sacrifice to stop Ben Brown from hurting anyone else,” Marty Ellington said. Pensacola News Journal. “In prison, he may get the attention he deserves.”
The coroner determined her cause of death was “complications from lidocaine toxicity.”
Read the affidavit against Dr. Ben Brown:
The Florida Department of Health concluded that Brown was careless and “unplanned” during the procedure.
“Dr. Brown’s extreme disregard for patient safety, even though the patient was his wife, demonstrates that he is neither willing nor able to provide an appropriate level of medical care to future patients,” the Department of Health’s order reads.
According to the report, the victim had no medical training but worked at the clinic, providing cosmetic injections to patients.
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A 2015 graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Plastic Surgery, Brown is licensed to practice in Florida, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Washington, DC.
He faces life in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted of second-degree murder.
