Plastic surgeon charged with death of his wife on his own operating table

A plastic surgeon in Florida has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of his wife while he performed surgeries on her.

The Santa Rose County Sheriff’s Office in Florida announced on Monday (June 17) that they had arrested 40-year-old plastic surgeon Benjamin Jacob Brown.

He has since been taken into custody and charged with one count of second-degree felony homicide for alleged manslaughter by culpable negligence in the death of his wife Hillary Ellington Brown.

Investigators were able to confirm that Hillary suffered a cardiac arrest during the procedures November 2023. She was taken to hospital for care and died a week later after being placed on life support.

Plastic surgeon Benjamin Jacob Brown, in Florida, has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of his wife (Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office FL)

It is believed that Benjamin’s lack of action after her health took a turn during the procedure contributed to her death.

The Sheriff’s Office release a statement back in 2023 saying: “The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office in conjunction with the District One Medical Examiner's office is conducting a Death investigation regarding the Death of Hillary Brown.

“The cause and manner of death is pending the receipt of the autopsy protocol from the District One Medical Examiner's office.

"The autopsy protocol typically takes several months as it usually is dependent on extensive laboratory and toxicology tests as well as the information gathered by our Major Crimes detectives concerning the circumstances of the death.”

An emergency order of restriction was also placed on Brown's medical license in May 2024 by Florida State Department of Health.

The Department also revealed further details about Brown’s practice and the incident.

The report revealed that Hillary had been scheduled to undergo 'miniature muscle plication/abdominal scar revision, bilateral arm liposuction, lip injections, and ear adjustment procedures'.

It was also revealed that Hillary - who had no formal medical training - prepared her own anaesthetic solution and ingested several 'multi-coloured pills, which included valium'.

During the procedure, Hillary 'restless and her feet began twitching' as her husband was performing the liposuction on her arm (Getty Stock Image)

During the procedure, Hillary became 'restless and her feet began twitching' as her husband was performing the liposuction on her arm. Her twitching eventually got worse and the situation began to spiral.

"[Hillary] stated that her vision started to blur, and she told Dr. Brown that she saw 'orange'. Restlessness, muscle twitches, and blurred vision are all early signs of lidocaine [a type of local anaesthetic] toxicity," the report states, adding that had Brown continued to inject lidocaine into her face.

Benjamin was repeatedly asked by other medical staff whether 911 should be called and he repeatedly said no and told them to wait, eventually shouting at them demanding to know what medications she had taken.

Benjamin eventually instructed staff to call 911 about 10-20 minutes after her seizures. Her death was later determined to be 'complications following lidocaine toxicity'.