The head of a holistic wellness clinic in New York faces a second-degree murder charge in the death of a 27-year-old woman who died an hour after he gave her an anti-aging shot at his office, prosecutors said.
Luis Rojas Cabreraof Passaic, New Jersey, allegedly operated his clinic in the Bronx without having the required medical license, according to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office.
In addition to second-degree murder, Cabrera, 56, was also charged with second-degree manslaughter, first-degree involuntary manslaughter, first-degree reckless endangerment and unlawful practice in connection with the death of Elizabeth Baronthe office said on Wednesday, October 7th. Press release.
Authorities say he killed Baron with an NAD+ injection on July 19 at his clinic, the Bereshit Lifestyle Center. The injection is said to have rendered her unconscious and taken her to hospital, where she died about an hour later.
In July 2023, a routine visit to a medspa in Texas turned fatal, and nearly three years later, the spa’s owner and its medical director are facing murder charges in connection with the patient’s death. Amber Johnson, who ran Luxe Medspa in Wortham, Texas, and Dr. Michael Patrick Gallagher, the spa’s medical director, were both arrested (…)
“This defendant allegedly operated a medical clinic despite not being licensed to practice medicine in New York State,” the Bronx District Attorney said Darcel D Clark said in a statement. “A young woman who sought health care instead had her life tragically cut short.”
Clark vowed to seek justice for Baron’s family.
According to the district attorney’s office, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner determined that Baron died of a cardiac air embolism, when air enters the blood vessels and prevents blood flow.
Her death was “due to air entering the intravenous catheter inserted into the victim” for the anti-aging injection, the office said.
Cabrera’s clinic is now listed as permanently closed on Google.
Michael Patrick Gallagher, who worked as medical director for Luxe Medspa in Wortham, Texas, was charged with murder after client Jenifer Cleveland died while allegedly receiving an “IV cocktail” from the medspa’s owner, Amber Johnson. Gallagher was arrested and charged with a single count of murder, manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter (…)
According to the clinic websiteCabrera represented himself as Dr. Luis A. Rojasa surgeon and naturopath who “uses his years of experience and knowledge to integrate natural medicine and natural therapies to achieve wellness.”
He is originally from the Dominican Republic and had a license as an esthetician in the United States, not a medical license, according to authorities. CBS News New York reported.
Cabrera is represented by an attorney Donald Vogelmanwho said in a statement to the outlet that the second-degree murder charge his client faces is considered a “depraved indifference murder” and described the charge as “outrageous.”
“Based on these facts, there has never been a case in New York state where anyone has been convicted,” Vogelman told CBS News New York. “The law clearly states that the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not care whether the patient lived or died. The fact that he called 911 and performed CPR shows that he did not care and that this was an unfortunate accident.”
During Cabrera’s arraignment on Tuesday, Oct. 6, his bond was set at $2 million cash and $7 million bond, according to prosecutors.
He has pleaded not guilty, records show.
