Colombian couple plead not guilty in death of Las Vegas woman
A Colombian lawyer and her husband, whose unlicensed cosmetic surgery is blamed in the death of a Las Vegas woman, pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder charges.
Ruben Dario Matallana-Galvas, 55, who has identified himself as a homeopathic doctor, and his wife, Carmen Olfidia Torres-Sanchez, 47, a lawyer with the Colombian attorney general’s office, face multiple charges, including second-degree murder, conspiracy and practicing medicine without a license.
Authorities allege Matallana-Galvas and his wife flew into Las Vegas to operate an illegal medical practice in April and performed plastic surgery on Elena Caro, 42, that led to her death.
Caro died April 9, shortly after Matallana-Galvas injected her with “a gel type substance” in an illegal buttocks enhancement procedure in the back room of a tile store, authorities said.
Torres-Sanchez is accused of helping her husband perform the procedure.
Authorities said Matallana-Galvas did not have a license to perform plastic surgery in Colombia and that his wife is being terminated from her job as a federal prosecutor in that country.
Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.