A Florida cosmetic surgeon was charged with his wife's death after she went into cardiac arrest on her operating table, and he allegedly waited 20 minutes to call 911, police said.
According to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office, Benjamin Brown, 41, was arrested in the death of his 33-year-old wife, Hillary Brown.
In a news release, authorities said they were called to the Restore Plastic Surgery clinic in Gulf Breeze, Florida, on Nov. 21, 2023, for a medical emergency.
Authorities said when they arrived at the cosmetic procedure clinic, they found Hillary Brown suffering from cardiac arrest.
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Benjamin Brown was charged in connection with the death of his wife, Hillary Brown. (Hillary Ellington Brown via Facebook)
He was put on life support and died just a week later, on November 28.
In her obituary, Hillary was remembered for her “kind and cheerful nature” and as an organ donor to five recipients.
“She was a loving and caring mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend,” the obituary said. “We will truly miss her radiant attitude and infectious smile.”
Benjamin Jacob Brown, 41, was arrested for second-degree felony murder – negligent homicide. (Santa Rosa County, Florida Sheriff's Office)
On Friday, after an “extensive investigation,” authorities “requested an arrest warrant for Benjamin Brown.”
“After an extensive investigation in conjunction with the District One Medical Examiner's Office and the State Attorney's Office, our detectives requested an arrest warrant for Dr. Benjamin Brown,” the sheriff's office said.
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The 41-year-old turned himself in Monday and was arrested for second-degree felony murder and culpable negligence manslaughter, the sheriff's office said.
In May 2024, the Florida Department of Health issued an emergency restriction order on Dr. Brown's license that provided more information about his wife's death.
The order said Hillary was scheduled to undergo “abdominal scar revision/miniature muscle plication, bilateral arm liposuction, lip injections, and ear adjustment procedures.”
Before her medical procedures, Hillary created her own IV bags and swallowed a “handful” of “multicolored pills, including Valium,” the medical board wrote.
She also created her own tumescent anesthesia and did not create any documentation about it, the board said.
The medical board said this was not authorized since Hillary was not licensed to perform procedures.
Hillary Brown underwent heart surgery when her husband, Benjamin, was performing cosmetic surgery on her. (Hillary Ellington Brown via Facebook)
During the procedures, Hillary told her husband that she “saw orange” and began experiencing muscle spasms, all symptoms of lidocaine toxicity, the board said.
While her husband continued performing cosmetic surgery, Hillary became unresponsive and began having seizures.
The Medical Board said that when a patient suffers a seizure during a medical procedure, “the prevailing minimum standard of professional care requires that a physician immediately initiate emergency transfer to a higher level of care.”
“A medical assistant asked Dr. Brown if he should call 911 and Dr. Brown said 'no,'” the document states. “For the next 10 to 20 minutes, a medical assistant asked Dr. Brown if they should call 911, and Dr. Brown said 'no' or 'wait.' The medical assistant was scared and was a new employee, so who did what Dr. Brown told him to do.”
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Instead of calling an ambulance, Dr. Brown allegedly “yelled” at staff, asking “what medication did you take, what did you take.”
Approximately 10 to 20 minutes after Hillary Brown suffered a seizure, Dr. Brown instructed an assistant to call 911, but his wife never regained consciousness.
The Florida Medical Board alleged that Benjamin Brown's care of his wife, Hillary, was “careless and disorderly.” (Hillary Ellington Brown via Facebook)
The medical board said the medical care Brown provided to his wife was “careless and disorderly.”
“The level of disregard that Dr. Brown paid to patient safety, even when the patient was his wife, indicates that Dr. Brown is unwilling or unable to provide the appropriate level of care to his future patients,” they said.
Hillary and Benjamin Brown shared three children. (Hillary Ellington Brown via Facebook)
Brown was booked into the Santa Rosa County Detention Center on Monday and released on $50,000 bond the same day.
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Marty Ellington, Hillary Brown's father, told the Pensacola News Journal that his daughter died because of “a careless individual.”
“His ego and arrogance overshadowed the need for help, prolonging the lack of oxygen to his brain and ultimately causing his death,” Ellington said. “Ben Brown took the mother away from my grandchildren, my only daughter and our brightest star.”
