One day after a Bonita plastic surgeon pleaded not guilty to a murder charge, the victim’s husband told NBC 7 more needs to be done to protect patients from doctors like Carlos Chacon.
Chacon was performing breast enhancement surgery on 36-year-old Megan Espinoza in December 2018 when she went into cardiac arrest. Prosecutors say she was in distress for more than three hours before Chacon called 911 for emergency help. By then it was too late. Espinoza later died at the hospital.
Chacon was originally charged with manslaughter, but the charge was upgraded to murder after San Diego County District Deputy Attorney Gina Darvas said new information revealed that Chacon refused to let his employees call 911, and that he consulted with two other doctors on the phone but didn’t tell them how bad Espinoza’s condition was. Darvas also said new information shows that Chacon left Espinoza on the table while she was in a medical crisis to see four other patients.
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“It just shows you the lack of compassion he had for a life, my wife, my wife,” said Mo Espinoza, who is now raising two boys without the help of their mother. “It’s just us three now, so we have to live with the reality that we don’t have a mother, but we cherish those memories and pictures and probably every other week we’ll go look at some videos together and remember how many lives she touched.”
Megan Espinoza was a kindergarten teacher in El Cajon. She was described by her husband as the life of the party and someone who “did a lot of good in this world."
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The Espinoza family sued Chacon in civil court and won a settlement, but Mo Espinoza said the murder charge now on file shows some justice being done for Megan.
Attorney Marc Carlos, who is representing Chacon, called the murder charge “unique, extraordinary and unfair." Carlos said his client has done thousands of successful surgeries. “He has thousands of clients who adore him. They really appreciate his work.”
Espinoza told NBC 7 he hopes no family ever has to go through what his did. He hopes laws will change to allow patients to get a clearer picture of a surgeon’s background before they go under the knife.
A preliminary hearing is set for Chacon in June. After that hearing, the California Medical Board will decide whether or not to revoke Dr. Chacon's license.
