Trial of Dallas doctor accused of putting heart-stopping meds in IV bags begins Monday
Dallas doctor accused of poisoning IV bags nears trial
The trial for the Dr. Raynaldo Ortiz, who is accused of putting heart-stopping medicine into patients' IV bags, starts next week. One person was killed, and 11 others suffered cardiac emergencies after receiving tainted IV bags at Baylor Scott and White Surgicare North Dallas.
DALLAS - The trial for the North Texas doctor accused of putting heart-stopping medicine into patients' IV bags starts next week.
One person was killed, and 11 others suffered cardiac emergencies after receiving tainted IV bags.
Dr. Raynaldo Ortiz was in court on Tuesday, with his hair much longer and whiter than at the time of his arrest.
Surveillance video captured Dr. Ortiz placing IV bags into a warmer again and again at Baylor Scott and White Surgicare North Dallas minutes before nurses took bags out of the same location.
Prosecutors say Dr. Melanie Kaspar was killed as a result of Dr. Ortiz inserting dangerous drugs into one of the bags.
Ortiz was arrested on tampering charges in Sept. 2022.
Kaspar's husband was overcome with emotion when speaking to FOX 4 at the time.
Husband of doctor allegedly killed by Dallas anesthesiologist gets emotional after court appearance
Dr. Raynaldo Ortiz is accused of injecting heart-stopping medications into IV bags at the Baylor Scott & White Surgicare Center in North Dallas. Dr. Melanie Kaspar was killed, 11 other patients suffered cardiac emergencies
"It is a lot to take in," he said at the time.
After Tuesday's hearing, we consulted Paul Coggins, a former U.S. attorney who is now a white collar crimes attorney.
He told FOX 4 one of the big issues in the case will be how much jurors get to hear about Dr. Ortiz's past disciplinary record.
"This particular defendant has a terrible past history in terms of discipline, in terms of write-ups at a prior facility, all sorts of problems in his background," said Coggins.
The case raised broader questions about the Texas Medical Board, which handles complaints against physicians, and a lack of transparency.
"You choose a facility you're going into, whether it's a hospital, whether it's a doctor-owned facility and you want the best personnel there. If you do your research, are you able to find out if somebody has the kind of history this doctor apparently had?" asked Coggins.
The former U.S. attorney says prosecutors will argue that his past is relevant to illustrate his alleged motive for tainting the bags.
"The defense will be fighting equally hard to try to keep that past history out," Coggins noted.
Ortiz's attorneys have argued the seemingly incriminating video does not show him actually inserting drugs into the IV bags.
"The surveillance tapes, I think they are important because they help the government establish opportunity. He had an opportunity to do this because they've got the surveillance tape that shows he could have gotten to the IV bags to doctor them. What the defense will try to prove is that he was not the only person who had the opportunity to do that," explained Coggins.
If convicted of all counts, Ortiz faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison.
Why Dallas doctor accused of tampering with IV bags was allowed to practice while under investigation
Dallas anesthesiologist Dr. Raynaldo Ortiz Jr. was under investigation well before his arrest in connection with 11 patient emergencies and a doctor's death at the Baylor Scott & White North Dallas Surgicare Center.
"In the federal system, life means life. It means, basically, you come out of prison in a pine box," said Coggins.
Coggins says the judge and attorneys on the case are all highly experienced.
The trial is expected to take two to three weeks.
Jury selection will begin Monday with the possibility of getting to opening statements.