Dean Faiello

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Dean Faiello was the main suspect in the murder of Maria Cruz, a Filipino-American, originally from Manila, who worked as a financial analyst at Barclays Bank in New York City. Cruz was the victim of a botched medical procedure by Faiello, who was not licensed to perform any such procedures.

Her body was found in his New Jersey home after police traced the victim's activities and bank records on the day of her disappearance. Faiello had been previously arrested for forging prescriptions, practicing medicine without a license, and using prescription drugs without a prescription. He fled to Costa Rica, where he was arrested and eventually extradited. He pled not guilty in criminal court to second degree murder charges. If convicted he would have faced 25 years to life in prison.

He made a plea deal by pleading guilty to first degree assault in exchange for a 20 year prison sentence. Faiello told prosecutors that Maria Cruz came to his illegal Chelsea clinic to have hair removed from her tongue. He said she suffered a seizure after he injected lidocaine into her tongue. When Cruz fell unconscious, Faiello called a real doctor who told him to get her immediately to an emergency room. Faiello, who was being investigated for practicing medicine without a license, took Cruz's body in a large suitcase to his carriage house in Newark, New Jersey and buried her under the garage.

His earliest possible release date is 2022 when he will be nearly 63.

[edit] Press Coverage

The story has has been heavily covered in both New York and New Jersey area press, as well as in the Philippines. The story was featured in GQ Magazine and is the subject of a future book by Diane Fanning ([1]).