A 49-year-old Bronx woman has been sentenced to four to eight years in prison for the death of  a woman and the serious injuring of another during botched cosmetic procedures involving illegal silicone injections provided in her home.

 

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark made the announcement on Monday, Feb. 26, saying, “The defendant illegally injected the victim with a silicone substance for cosmetic purposes. Tragically, the injections killed the victim. The defendant also performed a dangerous cosmetic procedure that left another woman with substantial pain. These cases hopefully will serve as a warning to the public to not undergo unauthorized procedures that can gravely threaten their health or even cause death.”

 

Clark said the defendant, Whalesca Castillo, 49, of Seward Avenue in Castle Hill was sentenced for four to eight years for second-degree manslaughter and another three years for second-degree assault by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Tara Collins. The sentences will run concurrently. She said Castillo pleaded guilty to the charges on December 18, 2023.

 

According to the investigation, on or about June 17, 2018, in the defendant’s home, Castillo injected a silicone substance into the body of Lesbia Ayala, 48, as part of an illegal cosmetic procedure to enhance the buttocks of the victim. Castillo did not have a license to practice medicine or cosmetic surgery. Ayala died of systemic silicone embolism syndrome shortly after receiving the injections.

 

The court also heard that on or about Feb. 10, 2018, in Castillo’s home, she carried out an unauthorized cosmetic procedure and injected a silicone substance into the body of Marisol King, then 39. The botched procedure, which was carried out in an effort to enhance the buttocks of the victim, left her with extensive infections and pain in her buttocks and thighs. The victim also had to later undergo surgery.

 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Tony Castro, homicide counsel, and Karl Miller, homicide counsel, under the supervision of Christine Scaccia, chief of the Homicide Bureau, and the overall supervision of James Brennan, deputy chief of the Trial Division, and Theresa Gottlieb, chief of the Trial Division.

 

Clark thanked NYPD Detective Anthony Velez of the Bronx Homicide Squad, and NYPD Detective Carmen Torres, formerly of the 43^rd Precinct Squad for their work on the case.