Plastic surgeon José del Carmen Desena Montero released from custody

Plastic surgeon José del Carmen Desena Montero has regained his freedom after a court annulled the resolution that had ordered his arrest. Desena Montero was originally convicted in 2025 of involuntary manslaughter following the death of a patient during an aesthetic procedure.

He was re-detained on September 18, 2026, due to alleged violations of the conditions set for his suspended sentence. However, the Third Chamber of the Criminal Chamber of the Court of Appeals of the National District overturned the arrest order. Following this decision, the Court of Execution of the Penalty of the National District ordered his immediate release.

Despite his release, Judge Octavia Carolina Fernández Cury reformulated the calculation of his penal sanction. The new period for fulfilling the conditions of his suspended sentence will run from September 18, 2026, until September 18, 2027. Records indicate that in early 2026, another patient, 27-year-old Anyeli Meliza Sánchez Castillo, also died following multiple aesthetic procedures performed by the surgeon.