Libby Adame, Previously Convicted in Another Fatal Injection Case, Was Found Guilty
Jurors in Los Angeles found Riverside County resident Libby Adame, 55, guilty of second-degree murder and practicing medicine without certification in the death of Malibu actress Cindyana Santangelo, who appeared on television shows E.R. and Married with Children, and suffered a fatal reaction to silicone oil injections in March 2025.
The verdict follows a two-week trial in which prosecutors described how Adame posed as a cosmetic specialist and administered silicone injections that caused a fatal embolism inside Santangelo’s Malibu home. The actress, known for roles in ER and Married With Children, died shortly after the procedure.
During testimony, Santangelo’s husband, Frank Santangelo, recalled finding his wife convulsing and said Adame fled before paramedics arrived. Prosecutors argued that Adame had long been aware of the dangers of silicone injections yet continued to perform them despite lacking medical credentials.
Defense attorney J. Michael Flanagan countered that Adame merely acted as a consultant for licensed physicians in Mexico and was not responsible for the injections that killed Santangelo. Jurors rejected that claim.
Adame’s conviction adds to a troubling history of unlicensed procedures linked to her name. In 2024, she was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the 2019 death of 26-year-old Karissa Rajpaul in Sherman Oaks, who died after receiving illegal buttock injections. Adame and her daughter, Alicia Galaz, who assisted with the procedure, served less than a year in custody after receiving credit for time served and electronic monitoring.
Evidence introduced during the latest trial showed Adame fleeing a South Gate salon in 2018 as paramedics treated another woman who later died after a similar procedure. Prosecutors said that the incident proved she knew the risks years before Santangelo’s death.
Deputy District Attorney Lee Cernok told jurors Adame had been explicitly warned during her 2024 trial that she could face a murder charge if another client died under her care. Taking the stand in her own defense, Adame denied administering the injections and claimed she did not know who did.
Santangelo’s husband has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Adame. Sentencing is expected in the coming weeks.
