Defense: Butt injection death a 'tragic accident,' not murder
DALLAS - The daughter of the woman left for dead at a Deep Ellum warehouse where she went for an illegal butt injection testified against the accused killer.
Denise “Wee-Wee” Ross and “Alicia” Jimmy Joe Clarke are accused of practicing medicine without a license and using common household products in their procedures.
They are charged with murdering 34-year-old Wykesha Reid after prosecutors say they left her to die at a Deep Ellum warehouse in 2015 after injecting a mystery substance into her backside to enhance it.
During opening statements, prosecutors said Ross had a “lucrative, secretive business” and would charge $300 to $1,000 for injections. Sometimes she used industrial-grade silicone.
Prosecutors said Ross and Clarke abandoned Reid overnight as she developed major complications from the procedure. Crime scene photos show what the place looked like inside the next day. Some of the pictures are too graphic for FOX 4 to show.
But defense attorney Heath Harris said the state couldn’t prove that Ross intentionally killed anyone. He said Reid’s death was a tragic accident, not a murder and told the jurors his client never claimed to practice medicine.
Reid’s daughter testified that she had gone to Ross three times before for butt injections. Kierra Reid said before when her mom had done it she’d leave with cotton balls superglued to the injection sites.
“She never felt it made her beautiful or pretty,” Kierra said. “It was just the fact that it was something she wanted — outer beauty."
Jurors also heard a 911 call from the morning after Reid’s death. Clarke can be heard sobbing and telling a dispatcher that Reid felt sick after the procedure and wanted to stay to lie down. He found her dead the next morning.
Ross was free on bond but is back in custody. A warrant was issued for her arrest and bond revoked after being accused of continuing to perform illegal injections while waiting for trial.
Ross is on trial this week. Clarke’s trial is set for a later date.
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