A Texas doctor dubbed a “medical terrorist” has been found guilty of injecting a heart-stopping poison into an IV at his former North Dallas clinic.
FOX 4 in Dallas reported that a 12-member jury found Dr. Reynaldo Ortiz guilty on all 10 charges after nearly seven hours of deliberation.
Ortiz reportedly wore a mask and showed no emotion as the verdict was read.
As a result of Mr. Ortiz’s actions, several patients had cardiac emergencies, and Dr. Melanie Kasper died after using one of the IV bags, prosecutors said.
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Dr. Reynaldo Rivera Ortiz was found guilty of contaminating an IV bag. Dr. Melanie Kasper died after using one of the contaminated IV bags. (Dallas Police Department/Obituary)
Federal prosecutors say the anesthesiologist committed the shocking crime at Baylor Scott & White Surgical Care North Dallas in retaliation for a medical malpractice investigation.
The criminal complaint accuses Ortiz of injecting neuroleptic drugs and bronchodilators into patients’ IV bags.
Surveillance video showed a doctor placing an IV bag into a stainless steel warmer outside the operating room on Aug. 19, 2022. Minutes later, another staff member reportedly took the bag and the patient suffered a heart attack shortly after.
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A screenshot of surveillance footage showing Dr. Reynaldo Ortiz, left, tampering with the IV bag that poisoned the patient. (WebMD/U.S. State Attorney’s Office)
On June 21, Melanie Kasper, Ortiz’s colleague and respected anesthesiologist, brought home a contaminated IV bag to keep her hydrated after an illness. Shortly after they inserted her IV into her vein, she suffered a severe heart attack and died. The Department of Justice said it was “rarely abused,” but that she had been fatally poisoned by bupivacaine, a paralytic drug used to relieve her pain during surgery. This was determined by the autopsy.
Immediately after the verdict, Dr. Melanie Kasper’s widow, John Kasper, said, “It’s never over. My best friend is gone.” “I don’t think he’s ever looked me in the eye…He’s got so many emotions that he just can’t seem to get rid of them. It’s just a flood of emotions.”
Witnesses called to the stand during the trial included John Kasper, the anesthesiologist who discovered the bag was contaminated, and Ten, who went into cardiac arrest during a nose surgery, the department reported. A teenage boy was reportedly involved.
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A hospital where Dr. Reynaldo Rivera Ortiz Jr. tampered with an IV bag, killing another doctor and sickening at least one patient. (Google Maps)
The case first began two days after Oritz was notified of a disciplinary investigation into his handling of a medical emergency. He noted that other doctors had complained that the center was trying to “crucify” him.
FOX 4 reported that 13 patients experienced similar cardiac emergencies from May to August 2022, but prosecutors only charged the doctor with assault charges against four of the patients in August. Ta.
Prosecutors say Ortiz is a danger to the community, citing in part a 2015 incident in which Ortiz shot and killed a neighbor’s dog in retaliation for a woman who helped her then-girlfriend obtain a restraining order. Following the allegations, a judge ordered Ortiz to be held in pre-trial custody. against him after a domestic violence incident.
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Ortiz was found guilty of four counts of tampering with a consumer product resulting in serious bodily injury, one count of tampering with a consumer product and five counts of intentional introduction of drugs, prosecutors said.
Ortiz is expected to be sentenced within two to three months. He faces life in prison.
Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
