A woman from California, referred to as “the butt lady,” was found guilty on Thursday for the murder of Cindyana Santangelo, an actress known for her role in “Married… with Children,” during a failed silicone injection process.
Libby Adame, 55, was convicted of second-degree murder and unauthorized medical practice related to the death of the 58-year-old actress, who passed away on March 24, according to a report from the LA Times.
Cindyana, a mother of two, succumbed after being transported from her home in Malibu to a hospital in Ventura County, where officials determined that an embolism resulting from a silicone injection led to her demise, as stated by prosecutors.
Defense attorney J. Michael Flanagan presented to jurors that Adame was merely a consultant on behalf of licensed doctors from Tijuana, Mexico, who were authorized to administer buttocks injections.
He contended that Adame did not conduct the procedure on Santangelo and criticized investigators for attributing the actress’s death to her without a thorough inquiry.
At the time of Santangelo’s passing, Adame was already on probation for an involuntary manslaughter charge stemming from the 2019 fatal buttocks injections that led to 26-year-old Karissa Rajpaul’s death in Sherman Oaks, as reported by the LA Times.
Adame and her accomplice daughter, Alicia Galaz, were acquitted of the more severe murder charges, but she received a sentence of four years and four months in prison in April 2024. However, she was released in under a year because of time served and electronic monitoring.
Flanagan admitted that Adame, known as “the butt lady” or “La Tia,” had conducted a procedure on Rajpaul but claimed she was aware that she could no longer perform “butt work” legally in California.
Flanagan confirmed they plan to appeal the second-degree murder conviction.
Adame has been held in custody since her arrest by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on May 12. Her sentencing is set for November 5.
According to California law, a second-degree murder conviction carries a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, while practicing medicine without a license can result in up to three years. Additionally, Adame was found guilty of a special enhancement for causing significant bodily injury, which could add three to six more years to her sentence.
Frank Santangelo, the husband of the deceased actress, is also pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit against Adame, stating that his wife was “killed in the prime of her life in her own home.”
“Tragically, her death not only could have, but should have been prevented,” he stated in a civil complaint reported by the LA Times.
After the verdict on Thursday, Santangelo’s husband expressed to ABC 7 that he feels that justice has been achieved.
The mother of two began her entertainment career in 1989 with a role in Young MC’s music video for “Bust a Move.”
She subsequently took on television roles, including the character Sierra Madre in “Married…With Children,” and appeared in shows like “CSI: Miami” and “ER.”
Santangelo made her film debut in 1990 with “The Adventures of Ford Fairlane” and acted alongside Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett in the 2003 comedy “Hollywood Homicide.”
