HOUSTON – A beauty consultant who was unlicensed when she administered illegal silicone buttocks injections on a mother of three, causing her death nearly four years ago, has learned her punishment for the crime.
Lisa Fernandez has been sentenced to serve eight years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice after pleading guilty to manslaughter. Judge Katherine Thomas, who recently made history as the youngest elected judge in the state of Texas, handed down the sentence on Jan. 23, according to records.
The tragedy highlighted the dangers of unsafe and illegal practices of getting underground body enhancement services.
According to court documents, 39-year-old Marja McClendon traveled to Houston from St. Louis, Missouri, on April 24, 2018, for the procedure.
SEE VIDEO of KPRC 2′s previous coverage of this tragedy
Her older sister, DeShonna Arnold of Katy, told KPRC 2 in a previous interview that she was surprised when McClendon called her from the airport that April.
“She was just like ‘Hey sister I’m here!’ and I’m like ‘what are you doing here? It’s something going on.’ And I found out she was going to get an injection,” Arnold shared.
It was not McClendon’s first procedure, or the first time she had traveled to Houston for injections, her sister said.
“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.
During the procedure, McClendon reportedly experienced shortness of breath and coughing.
A witness said Fernandez had to stop the procedure several times after McClendon complained of being in pain. According to court documents, the woman was taken to a hospital where she was evaluated and let go.
“She wasn’t feeling good and we went back to the house and she still wasn’t feeling good. She was oozing saline or whatever, it was out of her buttocks. I’m trying to take her back to the hospital and she said, ‘No, I don’t wanna go. I’ve got to get back home to my kids,” Arnold recalled.
According to court documents, McClendon wanted her money back but Fernandez refused, which lead to a verbal altercation. McClendon reportedly decided to continue with the second round of injections the next day.
McClendon began having even more difficulties and started coughing up blood the next day, according to investigators.
Court documents said she went back to the hospital before traveling back home to St. Louis, where she was hospitalized again and died on April 30, 2018.
Authorities said they used a series of text messages to confirm the date of McClendon’s procedure. Fernandez told prosecutors she knew the risks of the procedure if it was done incorrectly, including the lungs filling up with blood and death.
KPRC 2′s health reporter Hailey Hernandez gave valuable advice on ensuring your safety when having a body-altering procedure. Experts and officials stress that a house or a hotel are not safe places to have these procedures done. Never trust someone who offers cheaper services and always verify a plastic surgeon before the procedure by clicking here and checking for their certification.
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