'Beauty Consultant' Accused of Killing Woman With Illegal Silicone Butt Injections

A Houston woman has been accused of killing another woman by illegally administering silicone butt injections during a cosmetic procedure.

Lisa Fernandez, 47, is facing a charge of second degree felony manslaughter after administering the injections without a license, KTRK reported.

Fernandez went before a judge for the first time on Wednesday morning and was given a $40,000 bond. The judge also ordered that the 47-year-old cannot perform any unlicensed medical or cosmetic procedures.

Ferandez, who described herself as a "working from home beauty consultant" in a pre-trial, told prosecutors that she knew the risks of the procedure if administered improperly.

According to details revealed in court, the victim, Marja McClendon, traveled to Houston from St. Louis, Missouri, to get the procedure on April 24, 2018, KTRK reported.

After Fernandez had administered half of the injections, McClendon reportedly began experiencing shortness of breath and started coughing.

A witness said that Fernandez had to stop the procedure several times after McClendon complained of being in pain and not being able to breathe properly, according to court documents, Click2Houston reported.

McClendon visited the ER at North Memorial Hospital in Houston later that day but left after she was evaluated. The witness said that McClendon went back to see Fernandez the same day and told her that the first round of injections had "gone bad."

McClendon allegedly asked for a refund but Fernandez would not give the woman her money back, saying she didn't give refunds. This reportedly led to a verbal altercation.

After realizing that she wasn't going to get her money back for the procedure, McClendon decided to go ahead with the second round of injections the following day, according to the court documents.

Following the second round of injections, McClendon began experiencing more health issues and started coughing up blood, according to the witness.

McClendon traveled back home to St. Louis where she was hospitalized and died on April 30, 2018.

An autopsy revealed that McClendon's immediate cause of death were complications of silicone pulmonary embolism—a rare but potentially fatal disorder that can occur when patients receive silicone injections from unlicensed professionals.

Silicone injections are used for several cosmetic procedures, but they can cause respiratory failure if they are not administered by a licensed physician.

This can lead to life threatening complication, including bleeding in the lungs. This is because silicone that is injected improperly can travel through the bloodstream and cause blood to coagulate in the lungs, creating obstructions that can be life-threatening if not treated quickly.