Unlicensed Bronx ‘doctor’ allegedly said ‘I made a very big mistake’ after a woman died during his anti-aging IV, and now he’s charged with murder

Luis Rojas Cabrera is now facing a charge of depraved indifference murder following the death of a patient who received an anti-aging treatment at his facility. The NYPD announced the upgraded charges after the city medical examiner ruled the death of 27-year-old Elizabeth Baron a homicide.

As reported by the NY Post, the incident occurred on July 19 at the Bereshit Lifestyle Center in the Bronx. Baron, a local resident, was receiving an NAD+ injection when she suffered cardiac arrest. Court documents allege that Rojas Cabrera admitted to a police officer at the scene, “I made a very big mistake.” This admission came immediately after the procedure went wrong.

Rojas Cabrera reportedly operated the Riverdale wellness center as an unlicensed practitioner. His business marketed itself as a hub for natural medicine and therapies designed for making healthy living easy. Before the murder charge, he reportedly faced counts of reckless endangerment and the unauthorized practice of a profession. Because those initial charges were not bail-eligible, he had been free since his initial arraignment in July, where he entered a plea of not guilty.

Rojas Cabrera claims the air found is not a result of his injection

Assistant District Attorney Ethan Reisbaum highlighted the risks associated with such procedures during that first court appearance. He argued, “Administering NAD+ via an IV requires a prescription from a medical professional.”

There is a significant conflict regarding the medical findings in this case. The medical examiner concluded that Baron died from a cardiac air embolism, which is consistent with an accidental injection of air. The official report did not identify any underlying health conditions that could have contributed to her death.

Rojas Cabrera has disputed these findings, claiming that the air found in Baron’s heart was not a result of his injection. He told reporters that he believed the air was a byproduct of the manual CPR he performed when she went into cardiac arrest. 

He also pointed to the mechanical CPR administered by medics who arrived on the scene as a potential cause for the air in the heart chambers. “When I investigated with other doctors, they told me it was a possibility,” he said. He further suggested that underlying health conditions might have played a role, a theory directly contradicted by the medical examiner’s findings.

This case serves as a reminder that you should always verify the credentials of anyone performing medical procedures. If you are considering any form of IV therapy, it’s vital to ensure the person administering it is a licensed medical professional who is authorized to provide such treatment.