Unmasking the Truth: Benita Alexander's Whereabouts Revealed
Discover the captivating journey of Benita Alexander, highlighted in the gripping Netflix documentary series Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife Uncover her intriguing whereabouts and unravel the fascinating aftermath of her extraordinary story
The arrival of the stunning Netflix documentary series "Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife" has left many wondering about the current whereabouts of Benita Alexander. In 2018, Wondery debuted the true crime podcast "Dr. Death," which delves into alarming cases of medical malpractice, beginning with the notorious Christopher Duntsch.
Season 3 of the Peacock series Dr. Death focuses on Dr. Paolo Macchiarini, a surgeon whose deceitful actions led to the deaths of multiple patients and his imprisonment. The show previously dramatized the case of Duntsch in Season 1, and Season 2 will soon be released. In the meantime, Netflix subscribers can watch the shocking details of Macchiarini's case in the new docu-series Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife, which reveals his fraudulent activities in both the medical and romantic spheres.
Bad Surgeon: Where is Benita Alexander now?
Benita Alexander, former fiancée of Dr. Paolo Macchiarini, remains dedicated to seeking justice for the patients who lost their lives due to the actions of the disgraced surgeon. She currently serves as the executive producer for ID's Crimes Gone Viral and is also the CEO of Berraca Productions, a company she established to continue her advocacy for women who have been victims of fraud.
Alexander is also the host of the podcast Benita and the Berracas, dedicated to empowering strong and courageous women to speak out against love cons and frauds without shame. This award-winning investigative producer and journalist resides in New York and was previously married to a man named Edson Ricardo in 2012, although it is suspected that they have since separated.
Netflix's Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife features Alexander revealing that she met Macchiarini in 2013 while producing an NBC special called A Leap of Faith. The documentary focused on the supposed miracle surgeon, who claimed to have created revolutionary trachea transplants using synthetic scaffolds seeded with patients’ own stem cells.
Macchiarini swept Alexander off her feet, taking her on whirlwind trips across the world, showering her with lavish gifts and expensive dinners, and eventually proposing to her. However, some of his grandiose claims caused concern. He told Alexander and her loved ones that he was supposed to have treated Princess Diana after the car crash but couldn’t get there in time.
He also claimed to be the personal surgeon for Barack Obama and the Clintons, and suggested that the Pope would officiate their wedding with Putin as an invited guest. However, when a friend shared conflicting news with Alexander, he began to doubt everything. At the same time, allegations of medical wrongdoing started to emerge as professionals questioned whether he had manipulated data and neglected to test his windpipe surgery on animals before using it on humans. Despite Macchiarini's reassurances that the allegations were false, it later came to light that seven out of eight patients who received the experimental transplants had died after the surgeries, with the eighth patient having to have the transplant removed.
In Episode 3 of Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife, Benita Alexander reveals how the lies continued to accumulate, prompting her to secretly record her phone conversations with him. With crucial pieces of information missing, she sought the support of her friends and journeyed to Barcelona, his place of residence at the time.
NetflixBenita Alexander shares her side of the story in Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife
Despite claiming to be in Russia, Macchiarini was actually at home with a blonde woman and two young children. These children turned out to be his own, and the blonde woman was believed to be his wife, Emanuela Pecchia. Macchiarini had married Pecchia in 1986, and they had two children together. This revelation made Alexander realize that he had been deceived by Macchiarini, who had also lied about his medical credentials and his experimental treatment to his patients.
Alexander shared her story with her friend and Vanity Fair reporter Adam Ciralsky. Ciralsky published a detailed article in the February 2016 issue, revealing the troubling fact that multiple patients had died under Macchiarini's care. As a result, Macchiarini was dismissed from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, where he had conducted much of his work, and his research papers were retracted from scientific journals due to ethical concerns and falsified data, signaling the collapse of his once-prominent career.
"Ultimately, the accusations led to his appearance in a Swedish appeals court, where he faced charges of aggravated assault and causing bodily harm to his former patients," according to Netflix. Following his conviction, Macchiarini received a two-year and six-month prison sentence in June 2023, and is currently serving his time.
For further details on Macchiarini's life and criminal behavior, Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife is now streaming on Netflix. More true crime content is also available for viewing below.
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Editor's P/S
As a Gen Z netizen, I find the story of Benita Alexander and Dr. Paolo Macchiarini to be both fascinating and disturbing. On the one hand, I am inspired by Alexander's strength and determination in seeking justice for the victims of Macchiarini's malpractice. Her work as an executive producer for ID's Crimes Gone Viral and her podcast Benita and the Berracas shows her commitment to empowering women who have been victims of fraud. On the other hand, I am appalled by Macchiarini's actions and the devastating impact they have had on his patients and their families.
His willingness to lie and deceive his patients, as well as Alexander, is a betrayal of the trust that they placed in him as a medical professional. It is clear that Macchiarini is a dangerous and manipulative individual who deserves to be held accountable for his actions. I hope that the Netflix documentary series "Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife" will help to raise awareness of Macchiarini's crimes and bring justice to his victims.
