Libby Adame & Alicia Galaz, Los Angeles mom & daughter plead not guilty to killing rising adult entertainer, Karissa Rajpaul in illegal butt lift procedure.
A Los Angeles mother and daughter appearing have denied murdering a 26 year-old aspiring adult entertainer by giving her an illegal Brazilian butt lift injection that ended up killing her.
Libby Adame, 52, and her daughter, Alicia Galaz, 24, pled not guilty to the September 2019 killing of Karissa Rajpaul at an LA court hearing Tuesday.
The pair, whose mugshots suggest that they are no strangers to surgery and injectables themselves, are also charged with three counts of practicing medicine without license to do so.
Rajpaul’s cause of death was listed as homicide due to acute cardiopulmonary dysfunction and intramuscular/intravascular silicone injections.
She died at the hospital on the same day the procedure was performed, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Suspects fled botched operation
The ‘botched’ operation occurred in a private home in the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles in September 2019, with Adame and Galaz allegedly saying they only accepted cash. Neither of the women had the proper medical training KABC reported at the time of the mother and daughter’s arrest in September, 2021.
Karissa Rajpaul, 26, received three separate operations and died of a heart attack immediately following the third procedure on October 15, 2019.
The victim shared a video of herself to social media during one of the operations, which was meant to help her with her work in the adult film industry after moving to California from South Africa.
When complications arose during Rajpaul’s surgery, the mother and daughter dialed 911 and fled the scene, leaving the victim to die of her injuries, prosecutors claim in charging documents.
‘The suspects fled the scene without identifying or informing the paramedics of the cosmetic procedure for proper life-saving protocols to be initiated. As a result, the victim died in an emergency room with tending physicians unaware of the silicone injection,’ said the police in a statement.
Police say that Adame and Galaz were not trained or licensed in any way to perform these operations.
‘These individuals have no medical training,’ said LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton. ‘They’re not experienced and they’re putting people’s lives at risk.’
Authorities fear more victims in procedure often taking place underground
Adame and Galaz are currently free on bond but will head back to court November 3, when a hearing is scheduled to determine if there is enough evidence for the case to head to trial.
Authorities fear there could be more victims of the illegal procedures that come from individuals who advertise low-rate, cash-based procedures on their social media pages.
‘As we looked into this investigation, we did find that it is occurring a lot,’ Detective Bob Dinlocker said. ‘The internet is filled with these horror stories where they’re cutting the medical grade silicone with the stuff that you would caulk your windows with.’
Dinlocker adds that some of the chemicals aren’t even intended to be used in humans and can attack your heart, brain or kidneys.
The detective said Adame and Galaz would take supplies to private houses specifically to perform medical procedures.
If anything went wrong, Dinlocker alleges that the suspects would disappear, leaving paramedics to arrive to an unknown medical emergency.
Despite risks butt lift procedure continues to grow among women
‘I have seen patients like this,’ Board Certified Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon Dr. AJ Khalil previously told NBC Los Angeles. The surgeon says injecting liquified silicon into the buttocks us not only illegal, but that it can be deadly.
‘There are implants that go in the buttocks but they’re solid,’ Khalil said, adding that even those types of implants aren’t a common practice. But as for injecting liquified silicon – which he says is often mixed with motor oil – is against the law.
Adame and Galaz charged Rajpaul $3,500 to $4,000 for her operation, whereas a board-certified butt lift would run her anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000, according to NBC Los Angeles.
Brazilian butt lifts have increased in America around 77 percent between 2015 to 2019, according to a survey from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
However, they have some of the highest mortality rates among routine cosmetic plastic surgeries, because of the highly-invasive and dangerous manner of treatment. Despite the potential risks, fascination and adulation of the curvy physique remains rampant as exemplified by reality star, Kim Kardashian.
