Introduction to the Case
Jury deliberations continued on Wednesday in the murder trial of a Riverside County woman who allegedly injected silicone oil into a woman’s buttocks just over a year after being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter involving another woman’s death.
A prosecutor on Tuesday urged jurors to convict the woman, while a defense attorney countered that his client didn’t do anything wrong involving the latest alleged victim.
The Defendant and Charges
The downtown Los Angeles jury was handed the case late Tuesday against Libby Adame, 55, who is charged with one count each of murder and practicing medicine without certification in connection with the March 24 death of 59-year-old Cindyana Santangelo of Malibu. Adame and her daughter, Alicia Galaz, were convicted in March 2024 of involuntary manslaughter — but acquitted of the more serious charge of murder — stemming from the Oct. 15, 2019, death of 26-year-old Karissa Rajpaul following buttocks injections administered at a Sherman Oaks home.
Previous Convictions and Sentencing
Adame was also found guilty last year of three counts of practicing medicine without a certification, while her daughter was convicted of two counts of practicing medicine without a certification. Adame was sentenced in April 2024 to four years and four months in state prison, while her daughter was sentenced to three years and eight months in state prison, with Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge George G. Lomeli subsequently agreeing with an argument by Galaz’s attorney that the two were entitled to additional credit for the time they underwent electronic monitoring while out of custody following their August 2021 arrests at the Riverside home they shared.
Closing Arguments
In her closing argument, Deputy District Attorney Lee Cernok told the panel that the judge in Adame’s first trial had warned the defendant in April 2024 that she was "on notice of the dangers that could result" from her actions after her conviction for involuntary manslaughter for Rajpaul’s death and that the judge had warned her that she could be charged with murder if it occurred again. "Did she know better?" the prosecutor asked jurors of Adame, saying the answer was "a resounding yes." Santangelo died after being rushed from her home to a nearby hospital in Ventura County, with authorities subsequently determining that her cause of death was an embolism caused by a silicone injection, the prosecutor noted. "There is no reasonable doubt in this case, ladies and gentlemen," the deputy district attorney said.
Defense Argument
Defense attorney J. Michael Flanagan countered that "she did not do it," saying that there were "no injections this time by her." He acknowledged that Adame had performed a "procedure" on Rajpaul in 2019 and that Rajpaul had died as a result of a silicone injection. Adame’s lawyer noted that his client was still on probation at the time of Santangelo’s death and knew that she can’t do "butt work" in California, but said the woman known as "the butt lady" or "La Tia" was working as a "consultant" on behalf of doctors who can legally perform buttocks injections in Tijuana, Mexico. The defense attorney contended that his client wouldn’t have had enough time to perform the procedure after arriving at the woman’s house, and accused investigators of failing to adequately investigate after deciding that his client was the only suspect in the woman’s death.
Testimonies and Evidence
He said Adame saw that Santangelo already had bandages on her buttocks at the time of the consultation in the "beauty room" of the 59-year-old woman’s home, arguing that someone else had performed the procedure earlier that resulted in the woman’s death. Adame testified Monday in her own defense, denying that she was the one who gave Santangelo any injections the day she died. "Do you know who did?" her attorney asked. "No," the defendant responded. Adame — who told jurors that she had done thousands of the procedures — said the puncture marks on Santangelo’s buttocks were "too high" and that "it’s not my work." She said Santangelo kept clearing her throat from the time she arrived at the home and was “already breathing like she needed air.” She said that the woman’s husband told her to leave after he called 911.
Conclusion
The case against Libby Adame highlights the dangers of unlicensed and unregulated cosmetic procedures. The jury’s decision will depend on whether they believe Adame was responsible for Santangelo’s death, despite her claims of innocence. The outcome of this trial will have significant implications for the regulation of cosmetic procedures and the consequences for those who engage in such practices without proper certification.
FAQs
- Q: What is Libby Adame charged with?
A: Libby Adame is charged with one count each of murder and practicing medicine without certification in connection with the March 24 death of Cindyana Santangelo. - Q: What was the cause of Cindyana Santangelo’s death?
A: The cause of Cindyana Santangelo’s death was determined to be an embolism caused by a silicone injection. - Q: Has Libby Adame been involved in similar cases before?
A: Yes, Libby Adame and her daughter, Alicia Galaz, were previously convicted of involuntary manslaughter stemming from the death of 26-year-old Karissa Rajpaul following buttocks injections administered at a Sherman Oaks home. - Q: What is the defense’s argument in this case?
A: The defense argues that Libby Adame did not perform the procedure on Cindyana Santangelo and that someone else must have been responsible for her death.
