A former Frisco doctor is facing a murder charge after a woman died three years ago following an IV treatment at a South Dallas spa.
Jason Gallagher, an anesthesiologist who served as the medical director for the Luxe Med Spa in Wortham and owned a Frisco medical practice at the time, is accused of failing to supervise spa owner Amber Johnson during the administration of an IV treatment.
According to court documents obtained by Fox 4 News, Johnson was not licensed to administer the IV treatment to patient Jenifer Cleveland. The documents allege Cleveland was given “prescription pharmaceutical solutions” resulting in complications that staff members were neither trained nor prepared to manage.
Cleveland later suffered “sudden cardiac death of uncertain etiology,” according to her autopsy report.
Following Cleveland’s death, the Texas Medical Board suspended Gallagher’s medical license.
Now, three years after Cleveland’s death, Gallagher and Johnson have both been arrested and charged with murder, manslaughter, and criminally negligent homicide.
A friend of Cleveland’s told NBC 5 the incident should have never happened.
“This was a situation that should have never happened. Jennifer should still be with us. We should still be having a great time. We should be getting ready to go to the TCMA award show in November,” Russell said.
Gallagher’s legal team placed responsibility solely on Johnson in a statement to NBC 5.
“Jennifer Cleveland’s death was an unnecessary tragedy. The evidence is that this tragedy was at the hands of Amber Johnson and only Amber Johnson,” the legal team said.
In response to Cleveland’s death, the Texas Legislature passed a legislation known as “Jenifer’s Law,” amending Subtitle B, Title 3, of the Texas Occupations Code to regulate elective IV therapies and establish new safety requirements intended to prevent similar deaths.
Gallagher and Johnson were arraigned on July 30 and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The case remains pending in Freestone County.
