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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Lauren Gambino in New York

Florida woman in toxic buttocks injection case cannot afford bail

Oneal Ron Morris
Oneal Ron Morris, left, appears for a bond hearing in Broward Circuit Court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Photograph: Mike Stocker/AP

A Florida woman facing a manslaughter charge after allegedly pumping toxic substances into the buttocks of people seeking better backsides will remain in jail because she cannot afford to post bail, set at $40,000.

In court on Friday, Oneal Ron Morris appeared in court to ask a judge to lower her bond so she could remain free while awaiting trial in seven separate cases, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.

The paper said Morris told the judge she could not afford to pay the $40,000 bond and would have to remain in jail. She has been behind bars for more than a year, having served a sentence for related charges in Miami Dade County before being taken into custody in Broward jail, to await trial.

“I’m not a danger to society,” the paper quoted Morris as saying. “This whole experience has taught me a lot about how people will try to destroy my life. I just want to put it behind me.”

Morris is accused of masquerading as a doctor and illegally injecting a concoction of cement, caulk, flat-tire sealant, mineral oil and glue into her patients’ bottoms. Morris has denied using such a mixture.

She faces a manslaughter charge in the death of a former client who authorities say paid Morris $2,000 for as many as 10 injections over three years. Other alleged victims suffered injuries and severe infection.

Morris, who was born a man but identifies as a woman, is in a special unit of the Broward jail for protective custody.

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