A California woman known as the butt lady” was found guilty Thursday of murdering ER and Married … with Children actor Cindyana Santangelo after a silicone injection went tragically wrong.
Libby Adame, 55, of Riverside County, was convicted by a Los Angeles jury of second-degree murder and practicing medicine without a license after 58-year-old Santangelo died from a fatal embolism caused by silicone injections Adame administered at the actress’s Malibu home on March 24.
In California, second-degree murder carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years, practicing medicine without a license can add up to three years, and the special allegation of causing great bodily harm adds three to six years to Adame’s sentence.
Defense attorney J. Michael Flanagan told jurors that Adame was only consulting for licensed doctors in Tijuana, Mexico, and argued she didn’t have time to perform the fatal procedure on Santangelo, the LA Times reports. He also criticized investigators for holding her responsible without conducting a complete investigation.
Flanagan argued that Santangelo already had bandages on her buttocks when Adame consulted with her, suggesting someone else performed the fatal procedure, according to NBC4 Los Angeles. Adame testified in her defense, denying she administered the injections and stating she didn’t know who did.
At the time of Santangelo’s death, Adame was on probation for a 2019 involuntary manslaughter case involving the fatal buttocks injections of 26-year-old Karissa Rajpaul, per the LA Times.
Rajpaul’s death was ruled a homicide caused by acute cardiopulmonary dysfunction and silicone injections. Investigators said the women, presenting themselves as specialists, mixed safe cosmetic substances with dangerous chemicals.
Both were sentenced to prison but were released within a year after receiving credit for time served and electronic monitoring.
Flanagan admitted that Adame, also known as “La Tia” (The Aunt), performed a procedure on Rajpaul, but said she knew she was no longer permitted to perform “butt work” in California, the outlet said.
Santangelo, best known for her roles on Married... with Children and ER, had a history of substance abuse but had been sober for several years.
Her husband, Frank Santangelo, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Adame, claiming his wife was “killed in the prime of her life in her own home.”
During the trial, Frank Santangelo testified that his wife appeared to be breathing normally before meeting with Adame, but later struggled to breathe on the massage table and was bleeding from both butt cheeks.
He claimed Adame told him, “This has never happened to a client of mine before,” mentioned she might have something in her car to help, but then packed her bag and never returned.
