Horrifying images of a butt lift operation gone wrong were shown to a Los Angeles court on Tuesday as the murder trial of a mother and her daughter began.
Libby Adame, 53, and her daughter Alicia Galaz face murder charges for allegedly causing the death of their client, Karissa Rajpaul, 26, in October 2019.
Prosecutors argued in their opening statements Tuesday that the mother and daughter knowingly injected “toxic” chemicals into clients during amateur operations in the Lynwood, California, area.
They claimed this ultimately led to aspiring porn star Rajpaul suffering a heart attack during her third surgery with the duo in a hotel room.
The illegal surgery ring allegedly lured several women into painful procedures, as prosecutors also subpoenaed a woman who allegedly died after another of their butt lift operations in 2018, for which they were not charged.
Libby Adame, 53, (pictured) faces murder charges along with her daughter after allegedly running an illegal plastic surgery ring that led to the death of a client in October 2019.
Alicia Galaz (pictured) seen Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, where prosecutors said in their opening statements that she and her mother performed numerous surgeries despite having no medical training.
The two are accused of the murder of aspiring porn star Karissa Rajpaul, 26 (pictured), who underwent three butt augmentation procedures and died immediately after the third in October 2019.
Horrific images of Rajpaul’s (centre) surgery were shown to the court as the trial began on Tuesday. The court was also shown images of a previous client who died in 2018 (left), for which they were not charged, and allegedly “toxic” material (right) that was used in injections.
The mother and daughter allegedly offered makeshift surgeries along with two other women, who have not been charged, as they would provide a reduced-price option to expensive operations.
It was claimed that they would offer in-house butt augmentation procedures in hotel suites and in their homes, recklessly ignoring safety procedures.
The court was shown images of brown bottles, which Adame and Galaz injected into their clients despite allegedly knowing the toxicity of the material.
Both women were also apparently operating without any proper medical training and did not have the proper certification that would allow them to practice plastic surgery.
However, his defense attorney, J. Michael Flanagan, claimed in his opening statement that Adame trained in Mexico and was licensed there, and said the allegedly “toxic” materials were typical of Mexico.
In previous hearings, Flanagan argued that his murder charges were inappropriate as the charge required an “intent to kill”, stating that “there was certainly no intent to kill”.
While a separate procedure was raised on Tuesday, the operation that led to his arrest occurred on October 15, 2019, when Rajpaul was operated on for the third time.
Rajpaul shared images from one of his previous surgeries (pictured), where four women, allegedly including Adame and Galaz, and a man were around him, none of whom were wearing surgical attire.
A series of lurid images of Brazilian butt lifts gone wrong were shown as the trial began on Tuesday.
Prosecutors alleged the mother and daughter knowingly injected “toxic” materials (pictured) into their clients when they were given silicone implants.
His illegal surgery ring was said to have taken place in the Lynwood, California area.
The mother and daughter (pictured together at a previous hearing in September 2022) face felony charges for practicing medicine without certification, in addition to murder charges.
Rajpaul, an aspiring porn star, had moved from South Africa to California for her job and had previously shared a clip of herself during one of the operations.
An image from the previous procedure was presented in court on Tuesday showing a smiling Rajpaul lying on an operating table while four women, allegedly including Adame and Galaz, and a man stood around him, none of whom were wearing any clothes. surgical.
She suffered acute cardiopulmonary dysfunction while on the operating table for the third time, and the mother and daughter allegedly fled the scene while Rajpaul was rushed to hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
When the two were ordered to stand trial in March 2023, Deputy District Attorney Lee Cernok said, “This is something two people are doing without a medical license…To say this is clandestine is an understatement.”
The court was also shown gruesome footage of another fatal procedure allegedly carried out by the couple; Although they were not charged in that case, it was probably raised because investigators feared there were other victims of the illegal procedures.
At the time of their arrest, Detective Bob Dinlocker said the chemicals found in the illegal materials they were injecting were not even intended for use in humans and can attack the heart, brain or kidneys.
“As we looked at this research, we found that this happens frequently,” he said.
‘The internet is full of horror stories where they cut medical grade silicone with the same material you would caulk your windows with.
He claimed that Adame and Galaz brought supplies to private homes without regard for typical rules and practices.
If something went wrong, Dinlocker alleged that the suspects would disappear, leaving paramedics to arrive at an unknown medical emergency, the same way prosecutors said they abandoned Rajpaul.
Defense attorney J. Michael Flanagan (pictured) claimed in his opening statement that the materials used by the mother and daughter were typically used in Mexico, where he alleged Adame had received medical training.
Rajpaul shared a video of her on social media during one of her operations, which was meant to help her with her work in the adult film industry after moving to California from South Africa.
His treatment was performed by Adame and Galaz without any prior medical training or license.
It was claimed that they would attract customers by cutting their prices compared to their competitors.
Adame and Galaz charged Rajpaul between $3,500 and $4,000 for his operation, while a certified butt lift would cost him between $10,000 and $15,000, according to NBC4.
Brazilian butt lifts are among the most dangerous plastic surgery procedures available and have the highest mortality rates, but their popularity continues to grow.
Operations increased in the United States about 77 percent between 2015 and 2019, according to a survey by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.