The owner of a Texas wellness spa has been charged with felony murder after a customer died following an IV infusion. Amber Johnson, who owned Luxe Medspa in Wortham, turned herself in to the Freestone County Jail on April 28.
The victim, 47-year-old Jenifer Cleveland, visited the spa in July 2023 and received an IV cocktail of vitamins and electrolytes. The treatment was administered by an unlicensed individual. About half an hour later, Cleveland suffered a cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Johnson faces multiple charges, including felony murder, criminally negligent homicide, manslaughter, tampering with physical evidence, practising medicine without a licence, and nine counts of delivery of a dangerous drug. The Texas Medical Board determined that Cleveland died due to improper administration of the IV therapy, which contained TPN electrolytes with a high concentration of potassium. Rapid infusion of potassium can cause fatal cardiac arrhythmias.
The spa's medical director, Dr Michael Gallagher, has also been charged with murder, manslaughter, and other counts. His medical licence was suspended in 2023 amid the investigation. Cleveland's husband, Brian Cleveland, is pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit and helped pass 'Jenifer's Law', signed by Governor Greg Abbott in June, which requires IV sessions to be ordered by a qualified prescriber and administered only by medical professionals.
