It was also perhaps the definitive portrait of Orange County, California. Follow her on Twitter at @lizlet. Coupled with the slow pace of the investigation the Texas Medical Board conducted, Duntsch was basically allowed to wreak havoc wherever he went until he was brought to a final stop. We definitely amped up the sound effects. I had an urge to do that very early in the process. Planes crash because lots of smaller things go wrong at the same time. She has a degree in political economy from Tulane University. Ellis Unit outside of Huntsville,Texas. And they have a really compelling sympathetic through-character that you can sort of latch onto the whole time, like in S Town, or Serial. 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. And there were a couple of reasons for that. So, I always try its like how do you tell their story, and what happened to them, and what theyve lived through, but without really exploiting them? D MagazineChristopher Duntsch a.k.a. Later, following another accusation that he was abusing drugs before doing surgeries, Duntsch was relegated to mostly minor surgical procedures at the hospital. And so, one of the overriding things is that when he was at a hospital and it would become apparent how incompetent he was, the hospital would let him go, but they wouldnt do it in such a way that would warn everybody else. But there would be certain things that I would hear and like and not like. Was there anything that was particularly hard not to include? Theres a different crew at Dallas Medical Center now, but you have to think that the reason his hiring was fast-tracked was because, you know, he was a neurosurgeon and he told the administrator, Yeah, and Ive got a bunch of patients who are ready for surgery. It's a complicated plank that he tried to walk. After several more months of botched surgeries, Duntsch finally lost his surgical privileges altogether in June 2013 after two physicians complained to the Texas Medical Board. Dr. Death's Best Friend Jerry Summers In His Own Words | True Crime Buzz Because Im on there clearly, but when you can tell it through the tape, its so much better. But the path to that point was a long one made difficult by the systems put in place to protect doctors and the institutions they work for, not the patients. In 2018, he filed for an appeal which was rejected by the court. He was affable. Of those 38, 31 were leftparalyzed or seriously injured and two of them died from surgical complications. And so there was no world where they were going to let him speak to me. Christopher Duntsch was just a regular guy who became Dr. Death after he decided to be a neurosurgeon. 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. Dominic Burgess on Playing Real Life Jerry Summers in Peacock's Dr The True Story Behind Peacock's 'Dr. Death' | Time According to Megan Kane, an ex-girlfriend of one of Duntschs friends, she saw him eat a paper blotter of LSD and take prescription painkillers on his birthday. Many in the crowd wore the custom eye masks wed been given, to add to the audio immersion effect. If people come away from the show saying, "We don't know who Christopher Duntsch was," that was the intent, right? Life After "Death": Lethal Surgeon Sentenced to PrisonWATCH NEXT: Attorney who represented Dr. Duntsch's patients discusses her cases (3 of 5) https://youtu.. I limited myself to those emails that were produced as evidence in the trial, because the D.A. [We wanted to profile] enough patients where it was established what he did and the pain he caused, but there was also a danger the only way I know to describe it is a sort of victim fatigue. But unfortunately, despite the fact I am winning it is not happening fast enough. Martin would become Duntschs first casualty when she bled out in intensive care unit after her relatively common procedure. There are a lot of explanations proposed for why the real-life subject of Peacock's "Dr. Death" limited series, neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch (played by Joshua Jackson), maimed and. Basically someone listened to Dirty John who knew about the story of Christopher Duntsch emailed in and said, Hey, you should get a load of this guy. Because he had gotten a lot of local media attention, but I dont think he was getting huge national attention. Christophers baby mama Wendy Young described him and Jerry as the party boys, and Jerry described just how true that was. Death', How We Can Learn to Live with COVID-19 After Vaccinations. I didnt want to create a two-dimensional villain, and his dad, I think, wouldve provided the most humanizing voice in the story, but the attorney just wouldnt allow it. After youve spent a night using cocaine, most people become paranoid and want to stay in the house, the woman said in the deposition, according to D Magazine. 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. And even after he eventually lost that appeal, the train had already left the station. 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. Christopher Duntsch, the focus of Peacock's true crime series Dr. Death, looked good on paper. One woman remembered Duntsch taking LSD and cocaine throughout one night, before leaving the next morning for his hospital shift. They dont want to go participate in any extraneous activities, and he was totally fine going to work.. And then the rest were injuries. After he arrived in town, he secured a deal with the Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano and was given surgical rights at the hospital. 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. JACKSON: Well, it's not. I think that it would do a disservice to the story to try to find the pretty pink bow to tie on the story, to let people know how this creature could possibly be. Randall Kirby, Robert Henderson On Dr. Death Christopher Duntsch | True Then it seemed that it was nothing more than boring to youso then I thought it was my vodka bottle and neurostimulants, but I watched you closely and besides concern for my healthy you were chill and rolled with me on that., What I am being is what I am, one of kind, a mother f****** stone cold killer that can buy or own or steal or ruin or build whatever he wants.". But from the inside, he sees himself as the victim of circumstance. I did talk to as many of his high school friends as I could. You have reached your limit of free articles. The one where EW follows up with the cast. Duntsch received his undergraduate degree from the University of Memphis and stayed in town to receive an M.D. MACMANUS: You know, it's interesting that you asked that question because it was something that we talked about quite a bit, even before we had the writers' room I'm talking three years ago, I think I got the podcast exactly three years ago next week and my answer was that I genuinely don't believe we will ever be able to answer who Christopher Duntsch was and why he was, and it was not my intention, nor was it our writer's intention, once we got to the writers' room, to answer that question in full. 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. So we were bouncing around quite a lot. So, ask the producers. Talk about a TV writer's dream: a story about a handsome, charismatic doctor with a killer bedside manner. Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action Little Mermaid with a new generation's Ariel. I wanted to make it easy for myself. He is absolutely a narcissistic sociopath. So I think we're getting towards a better place. 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Death' Review: Joshua Jackson Is Terrific in Terrifying Peacock Series That's as Sharp as a Scalpel. The day that Brown suffered her stroke, Duntsch operated again. Podcasts status as a new medium, in which the rules have yet to be codified crystallized for me a few weeks back, when I sat in a dark screening room at United Talent Agency with a group composed largely of fratty, agent-y men in suits listening to a non-fiction account of an evil surgeon. "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". Despite her qualifications as a reporter, Beil was also a podcast newbie. We're certainly not there yet. 'When They See Us': Joshua Jackson, Blair Underwood & Christopher Jackson on the Netflix Limited Series, 'Dr. Right? The pair were childhood friends and eventually became roommates. The first operation he conducted in this capacity was to fix a womans compressed nerveduring the surgery, he cut an important vessel in the womans spinal cord and she bled to death. I have 1M in debt, 10M invested, and 22 years of pain in misery already on the table", 2. Dr. Death: Where Is Christopher Duntsch Today? - Grunge I mean, the guy who you think is guilty from the first episode really is guilty. Christopher Duntsch: The Remorseless Killer Surgeon Called 'Dr. Death' 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. He was a character simultaneously familiar but totally unique, a brilliant schemer who was also, even in his late 50s, kind of an idiot slacker like Fatal Attraction meets a Judd Apatow movie. We've told lots and lots and lots of our stories. The podcast series and ProPublica report that Duntsch was ordered by the university to take a drug test, but managed to avoid it. White men also have stories to tell. JACKSON: We were bouncing between time periods a lot. Liz Shannon Miller is a Los Angeles-based writer and editor, and has been talking about television on the Internet since the very beginnings of the Internet. Death.'. And that was just one case from Baylor-Plano. Dr. Death season one review: a true crime podcast is even scarier - Vox And I dont know that he really ever even wanted to be a neurosurgeon. Believe it or not, there was stuff I took out. The series, a lightly fictionalized version of the podcast, stars Joshua Jackson as the slick and overconfident Duntsch. It doesn't place the patient or the victim at the front, it protects the institution first and then somewhere down the line comes the patient. In the doc, Jerry, who died in February from an infection connected to the botched surgery Christopher performed on him in 2011, gave an interview about their friendship and the operation that eventually led to his death. Christophers late childhood best friend added: Chris was very intrigued with a lot of the stuff going on in my life. After this look at Christopher Duntsch a.k.a. Death' Review: Joshua Jackson Is Terrific in Terrifying Peacock Series That's as Sharp as a Scalpel. Patrick Macmanus also explains why the show's supporting characters were such a gift. Duntsch declined a reporter's request for a jailhouse interview Tuesday. The four-part docuseries features old footage and new interviews to tell more of the story about the neurosurgeon who was sentenced to prison after maiming or killing more than 30 patients. I can tell you that, with the intention of allowing audiences to come to their own conclusions, my conclusion is that Christopher is an extraordinarily complex and tragic figure. Thats why we have these hours and hours of tape, but that said, there are a few fundamentals that were wrong. He is currently housed in the O.B. And that's only four years ago. And now you have to have empathy for the people who are the victims of your central character. Im saying the system played a role in it, but it was clearly his fault. 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. Summers is a former patient of Christopher Duntsch, who was nicknamed "Dr. Death." Duntsch is serving a life sentence in prison after killing and maiming more than 30 patients while working in the . Christopher Daniel Duntsch was born in Montana on April 3, 1971, and raised alongside his three siblings in an affluent suburb of Memphis, Tennessee. Philip Mayfield, one of Christopher Duntsch's patients, who was paralyzed after his surgery. 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. Duntsch was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. I mean you cant really boil it down. Was that something that he knew? Death. I realized what he really had to offer. In the meantime, prosecutors were working with Kirby and Henderson to find a way to indict Duntscha challenge, considering Texas had never previously handled such a case. So it has to be taught through generations. In June 2013, Duntschs medical license was suspended and fully revoked later that December. Jennifer Morrison, I've actually known for a very long time. Christopher Duntsch gave me my first hit of acid.. Now, INSDE EDTION tracks the surgeon down to get some answers. Despite being known in Texas as a doctor to avoid (at least among professional peers), and despite a report to the data bank and an investigation into his cases by the state medical board, Duntsch continued to be hired. Of course, podcast producers are subject to the same profit motive that helped facilitate a guy like Duntsch, but to their credit, Wonderys producers seem to have realized that a story like Dr. Deaths needed to be built on a foundation of solid reporting. Death': "He Thinks He's the Hero of This Story", So when it comes to the question of how he was able to get away with it for so long, that involves a lot of breaking down the administrative and legal aspects that keep a doctor like him in a position of doctoring. So many of these serialized investigative podcasts, they tend to grow out of some kind of mystery. It was fun to write these two characters. Death': "He Thinks He's the Hero of This Story", 'Dr. But theres one lucky person who escaped, you know? this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Right? 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. In 2011, Jerry agreed to letChristopherperform cervical fusion surgery at Baylor Medical Center in Plano, Texas on him. Duntsch, 44, is being held in the Dallas County Jail on $600,000 bail on charges involving the death of one patient. He had a very small but vitally important role. The question of how Duntsch was able to operate with impunity for so longwhen surrounded by many people who tried to raise the alarm and faileddrives Dr. Death, which jumps across time in each episode to show what the doctor was like as a young man, friend and medical student, and then later as a surgeon, a partner and a father. Scheduling just got in the way there. On that note, tell me a little bit about your background. Joshua Jackson as Christopher Duntsch in 'Dr. While Baylor-Plano conducted an investigation of Duntsch and his cases, and found that he would need to be let go, Duntsch was not technically fired from the hospital. Was there anything you had to teach yourself in order to better tell this story? But everyone around him, not wittingly or willingly, ended up sort of encouraging all of his worst attributes. I can tell you that I do believe that he was a product of nature, nurture and the system that enabled him to be able to do what he did. Right? No. I think the systems were working. 'Dr. Death,' The Neurosurgeon Who Left Patients Maimed Thats why planes dont crash that often. Plenty, plenty, plenty, plenty. Left: Christopher Duntsch in surgery, Right: Christopher Duntschs mugshot. That it needs to be noted that like, well, you can only give these ladies so many slots. But even inside it, there was some times where sequences would line up as chronological, but the timeline was a lot to keep your head around. Season 1 tells the story of Christopher Duntsch, a Texas surgeon who was convicted of gross malpractice after thirty-one of his patients were left seriously injured after he operated on them, and two patients died . JACKSON: Well, yeah, it gives you a healthy skepticism. When I listened to the podcast, when I got into the conversation with Patrick Macmanus, when he gave me all the research material, I so wanted to make him evil. For example, I never knew before I started this that I had such strong feelings about sound effects. You have to be spare and selective with the details. Two patients died, one from significant blood loss after the operation and the other from a stroke caused by a cut vertebral artery. In July 2015, a grand jury indicted Dr. Death on five counts of aggravated assault and one count of harming an elderly person, his patient Mary Efurd, according to Rolling Stone. The former doctor will not be eligible for parole until 2045 when he will be 74 years old. Dr. Death in surgery. Because neurosurgeons, they bring in a lot of money for their institution. Like, I could hear the people around me reacting. In Dr. Death theres no question as to who the killer is, but there are still a few mysteries to unravel. Magazines, Digital Jamie Dornan was originally attached to play Christopher in the beginning. And never when i not standing there. Left: WFAA-TV, Right: D MagazineLeft: Christopher Duntsch in surgery, Right: Christopher Duntschs mugshot. And we did have full access to doctors as well as Laura Beil, who did the original Dr. Death podcast. 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., The sad fact is that I would go faster do better and catch more respect and honor by f***ing every one in the brain, emotionally and mentally controlling them in a manner that borders on abuse, taking no prisoners, and sending everyone in my way, and especially that f***s with me to hell for the simple fact that they thought they could much less tried, 1 week and then everything unraveled. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Where Is Dr. Death Now? - Here's Where Christopher Duntsch Is Today in 2021 Were there podcasts that you looked to as an example, or that sort of influenced you when you knew you were going to be doing a podcast story like this? 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. Its interesting, because when I heard at the premiere, people were reacting to things that I didnt anticipate them reacting to.