KEY POINTS
- The victim met the suspect at an apartment where the procedure was done
- The victim’s sister tried to talk her out of the operation, to no avail
- The suspect is facing charges of second-degree felony manslaughter
A woman appeared before a judge Wednesday morning after administering illegal silicone butt injections that left a woman dead.
Lisa Fernandez, 47, is currently facing charges of second-degree felony manslaughter for the death of Marja McClendon, who traveled to Houston on April 24, 2018, to get silicone butt injections. It wasn’t the first time she was getting such a cosmetic procedure done, but it turned out to be the last as she died days after, according to ABC13.
Fernandez, who had no license or authorization to administer the injections, was given a bond of $40,000 when she appeared before the judge. The judge also gave an order that banned her from performing unlicensed medical or cosmetic procedures.
Court documents reveal that the 39-year-old woman and mother of three had traveled from St. Louis, Missouri, to Houston, Texas for the procedure. She gave her sister, DeShonna Arnold, a surprise when she phoned her from the airport.
“She was just like ‘Hey sister I’m here!’ and I’m like ‘what are you doing here? It’s [sic] something going on.’ And I found out she was going to get an injection,” Arnold told KPRC 2.
Arnold tried talking her sister out of it but McClendon’s mind was set.
“She always thought she had a flat butt and she wanted to enhance her look. I’m like ‘sister you don’t need to do that you’re fine the way you are’ and she was like ‘no girl I need to get this butt together, I need a big butt.’ Not knowing she was going to lose her life,” Arnold said.
McClendon met Fernandez at an apartment to get the injections. She began coughing and experiencing shortness of breath after half the injections were administered.
A witness said that Fernandez had to stop a few times in between because McClendon complained of pain. After the procedure, McClendon went to a hospital and was allowed to go back home after an evaluation.
The next day, McClendon went back to Fernandez and demanded a refund. Fernandez showed no intention of giving her money back and McClendon decided to get a second round of injections instead. This only worsened her condition as she began coughing up blood.
After going back to the hospital, the victim returned to St. Louis. She was taken to the hospital again where she passed away on April 30, 2018.
Investigations into McClendon’s death ensued, and Fernandez admitted to authorities that she had no license to perform the procedure. She also said she knew of the risks if such a procedure was performed incorrectly.
McClendon’s bereaved family now wants to see justice for her and the three children she left behind. Her uncle, Calvin Arnold, hopes other families do not go through the same heartbreak and told ABC13, “It is not worth it. It’s not worth it. I tell anybody that’s listening. It’s not worth taking a chance and putting a foreign object in your body that could possibly take your life.”
