Plastic Surgeon Arrested In Wife's Death After She Died Following Procedure on His Table

On Monday, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of 41-year-old Dr. Benjamin Jacob Brown following the death of his wife, Hillary Ellington Brown, in November 2023.

He was charged with Second Degree Felony Homicide: manslaughter by Culpable Negligence. Per the Sheriff's Office, their deputies responded to Brown's Restore Plastic Surgery offices to treat a female victim, Hillary, who had suffered cardiac arrest. She was put on life support, before she died 7 days later.

The arrest comes after the State of Florida's Department of Health issued an order of emergency restriction of Dr. Brown's license last month, which gave additional insight into what allegedly went down the day of Hillary's operation.

The documents (via Law&Crime) claim Brown's wife was set to undergo a miniature muscle plication/abdominal scar revision, bilateral arm liposuction, lip injections, and ear adjustment procedures. Per the State's investigation, the morning of the procedure, Hillary "prepared her own tumescent solution which includes diluted lidocaine, epinephrine, and sodium bicarbonate" and ingested a "handful" of pills, which allegedly included Valium, Tramadol and Versed. She then began to "exhibit effects of sedation."

There's no documentation that the solution was prepared correctly, said the State, though Dr. Brown allegedly administered it. The docs also state Hillary "assisted in her own procedure by suturing the skin back together" after the muscle plication and scar revision -- but then "became restless and her feet began twitching."

As her husband performed lipo on her arms, "her twitching worsened," reads the docs.

At that point, Dr. Brown documented he injected a "more concentrated" solution of lidocaine into his wife's face and lips ... while witnesses allegedly claim he injected undiluted Xylocaine into her face. It's then, per the docs, Hillary said her vision started to blur and she was seeing "orange."

The Department of Health noted muscle twitches, restlessness and blurred vision are all early signs of lidocaine toxicity -- though Dr. Brown allegedly kept injecting lidocaine/Xylocaine into her face. She then became unresponsive and had a seizure.

"A medical assistant asked Dr. Brown if they should call 911 and Dr. Brown said 'no.' Over the next 10-20 minutes, a medical assistant asked Dr. Brown if they should call 911 and Dr. Brown said 'no,' or 'wait,'" reads the docs. "The medical assistant was scared and a new employee, so she did as Dr. Brown instructed."

According to the filing, the patient should have been immediately transferred to a higher level of care, which they say Dr. Brown failed to do while her "vitals declined."

The documents also claim Dr. Brown began shouting at staff, asking, "What medication did she take, what did she take?" Then, "after approximately 10-20 minutes" -- as Hillary's "breaths were shallow, and her pulse and blood oxygen levels were low" -- her husband asked her assistants to call 911 and began performing CPR.

She was intubated and taken to a hospital nearby, "in cardiac arrest with an elevated lactic acid level and suspected lidocaine toxicity," said the State. She never regained consciousness before her death on November 28.

Per the filing, Dr. Brown's "attention to his practice declined" in or around 2021, "resulting in an unsafe environment for procedures to be performed."

"The level of disregard Dr. Brown paid to patient safety, even when the patient was his wife, indicates that Dr. Brown is unwilling or incapable of providing the appropriate level of care to his future patients," said the Department of Health.

"Dr. Brown's most problematic violation during H.R.'s procedure was his failure to react swiftly in response to a serious medical emergency," they continued. "Despite less experienced staff members requesting to call 911, Dr. Brown delayed the transport of H.R. by telling his staff 'no' or to wait. This was compounded by his staff's apparent lack of knowledge and training."

The State believed that his "continued unrestricted practice as a medical doctor presents an immediate, serious danger to the health, welfare, and safety of the public."

In a statement to the Pensacola News Journal, Hillary's father Marty Ellington said his family "lives in a sea of tears for eternity due to the actions of one careless individual."

"His ego and arrogance overshadowed the need for help, prolonging oxygen deprivation to her brain and ultimately causing her death. Ben Brown took the mother from my grandchildren, my only daughter and our brightest star," he continued. "Hillary gave the ultimate sacrifice so Ben Brown cannot hurt anyone else. Maybe in prison, he will get the attention he deserves."