Southwest
Texas doctor who poisoned patients with tainted medical IV bags sentenced to 190 years
A Texas anesthesiologist convicted of injecting heart-stopping poison into patients’ IV bags has been sentenced to 190 years in prison.
Raynaldo Riviera Ortiz, Jr., 60, once dubbed a “medical terrorist,” was found guilty on four counts of tampering with consumer products resulting in serious bodily injury, one count of tampering with a consumer product and five counts of intentional adulteration of a drug after an eight-day trial in April of last year.
Sentencing was handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge David Godbey, who ruled Ortiz’s actions equivalent to attempted murder and U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton seemingly agreed.
“This disgraced doctor acted no better than an armed assailant spraying bullets indiscriminately into a crowd. Dr. Ortiz tampered with random IV bags, apparently unconcerned with who he hurt. But he wielded an invisible weapon, a cocktail of heart-stopping drugs, concealed inside an IV bag designed to help patients heal,” said Simonton.
TEXAS DOCTOR FOUND GUILTY OF POISONING PATIENTS BY PUTTING DANGEROUS DRUGS IN IV BAGS
Dr. Raynaldo Ortiz, left, and a screenshot from surveillance footage where he is allegedly tampering with IV bags that poisoned patients. (WebMD/U.S. State Attorney’s Office)
Simonton continued: “On at least nine separate occasions, he essentially attacked unconscious patients lying on an operating table, and even killed a colleague. I am so proud of our office’s work in bringing Dr. Ortiz to justice and bringing a measure of solace to his victims and their families.”
During the trial, doctors said they were confused when their patients’ blood pressures were suddenly spiking, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Texas. After reviewing medical records, one thing in common with each incident was that these emergencies took place after new IV bags had been hung.
Evidence presented in the trial showed that patients at Surgicare North Dallas suffered cardiac emergencies during routine medical procedures in 2022. The evidence showed that it was not done by any particular doctor.
TEXAS DOCTOR ACCUSED OF POISONING PATIENTS BEGS FOR BAIL, GIVES NEW DETAILS ABOUT DOG SHOOTING
Dr. Raynaldo Rivera Ortiz (left) was found guilty of contaminating IV bags, which caused the death of Dr. Melanie Kaspar (right). (Dallas Police Department/ Obituary)
After the unexplained emergencies, a fellow anesthesiologist treated herself for dehydration using one of the tainted bags and died that day. Her husband, Dr. John Kaspar, told the court the memory of seeing his wife’s “lifeless eyes” still haunts him and will never leave him. She was “my life” and “the strongest woman” he’d ever met, he said.
During the sentencing, families and patients spoke about the “life-altering” pain they had endured at the hands of Ortiz. A son of one victim said that because of what happened, his 10-year-old son did not trust doctors anymore because “a doctor tried to kill Pops.”
Another victim said after the cardiac incident he woke up feeling “all chewed up” and has not been the same since.
Ortiz waived his rights and was not present to hear the sentence or the statements from his victims.
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Los Angeles, Ca
Woman killed by driver while crossing PCH in Long Beach
A woman was struck and killed by a driver while crossing the street on Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach.
On June 3, the female pedestrian was using the crosswalk at Pacific Coast Highway and Pacific Avenue around 4:50 a.m.
She had walked against a red light and was hit by a 19-year-old driver in a Chevy sedan, Long Beach police said.
Despite lifesaving efforts, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation.
“At this time, impaired driving, distracted driving and excessive speed are not believed to be a factor in this collision,” police said.
The woman’s name is being withheld pending identification by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information on the incident is asked to call Detective Joseph Johnson at 562-570-7355.
Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
Los Angeles, Ca
Man wanted for deadly Los Angeles road rage shooting extradited from Mexico
A man wanted for a deadly road rage shooting in Los Angeles was arrested and extradited from Mexico after fleeing the U.S. in 2024.
The suspect was identified as Christian Rojas, 21, of Bellflower, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Authorities had been searching for him since the deadly incident on October 10, 2024.
Rojas and a second suspect, Joshua Rojas Sr., 47, of Downey, were driving on the northbound 5 Freeway in Boyle Heights around 4 p.m. when they became involved in an altercation with another driver that escalated into a shooting.
Video of the tense confrontation showed the suspects, who were driving a Dodge Durango SUV, opening fire on two men in a Cadillac sedan.
The shooting forced the victim to pull over abruptly. That’s when a suspect ran up to the Cadillac, opened the passenger-side door and fired several shots at close range.
In a panic, the Cadillac driver tried to escape by making a sudden U-turn and driving against oncoming traffic. He eventually crashed head-on into several vehicles.
The suspects ditched their SUV and fled toward a freeway exit on foot. The Cadillac driver was left with serious injuries and his passenger was killed. Their identities were not released.
The incident caused a miles-long backup that left thousands of motorists stranded on the freeway for hours and authorities worked to clear the scene.
Following an extensive investigation, detectives identified the two men as the suspects involved.
Joshua Rojas Sr. was arrested in San Bernardino on October 22, 2024, on a murder charge. He remains in custody awaiting trial.
Meanwhile, Christian Rojas had fled the U.S. and was hiding in Mexico, detectives said. A $4.3 million bail warrant was issued for his arrest.
“Through a coordinated international effort, investigators determined that Rojas was living in Palomo de Arriba, Mexico,” CHP officials said. “The U.S. Marshals Service worked with Mexican state police to locate and arrest him on the outstanding warrant.”
On June 2, 2026, Christian was arrested and extradited to the U.S. to face a murder charge.
“This arrest demonstrates that time and distance will not shield violent offenders from justice,” said CHP Southern Division Chief Chris Margaris. “For nearly two years, our detectives remained relentless in their pursuit of those responsible for this senseless act of violence. Through exceptional collaboration with the United States Marshals Service and our law enforcement partners in Mexico, we located and apprehended this suspect and brought him back to face the charges. We remain committed to protecting the public, supporting victims and their families, and holding violent criminals accountable wherever they may try to hide.”
Los Angeles, Ca
NB 405 Freeway closed near LAX after pursuit ends in gunfire
The northbound 405 Freeway will remain closed for several hours near Los Angeles International Airport after a police pursuit ended with officers opening fire Friday morning. Unconfirmed reports indicated the incident began with a robbery at a 7-Eleven store, which ended with Los Angeles Police Department officers pursuing the suspect in a Kia. The chase […]
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