Under the Knife: A Beautiful Woman, a Phony Doctor, and a Shocking Homicide

Dear Reader:

The book you are about to read is the latest bestseller from the St. Martin’s True Crime Library, the imprint
The New York Times
calls “the leader in true crime!” Each month, we offer you a fascinating account of the latest, most sensational crime that has captured the national attention. St. Martin’s is the publisher of bestselling true crime author and crime journalist Kieran Crowley, who explores the dark, deadly links between a prominent Manhattan surgeon and the disappearance of his wife fifteen years earlier in
THE SURGEON’S WIFE.
Suzy Spencer’s
BREAKING POINT
guides readers through the tortuous twists and turns in the case of Andrea Yates, the Houston mother who drowned her five young children in the family’s bathtub. In Edgar Award-nominated
DARK DREAMS
, legendary FBI profiler Roy Hazelwood and bestselling crime author Stephen G. Michaud shine light on the inner workings of America’s most violent and depraved murderers. In the book you now hold,
UNDER THE KNIFE
, acclaimed author Diane Fanning uncovers the terrifying tale of a man who posed as a doctor even though he had no training, leading to a tragic consequence for a woman in his care.

St. Martin’s True Crime Library gives you the stories behind the headlines. Our authors take you right to the scene of the crime and into the minds of the most notorious murderers to show you what really makes them tick. St. Martin’s True Crime Library paperbacks are better than the most terrifying thriller, because it’s all true! The next time you want a crackling good read, make sure it’s got the St. Martin’s True Crime Library logo on the spine—you’ll be up all night!

Charles E. Spicer, Jr.
Executive Editor, St. Martin’s True Crime Library

St. Martin’s True Crime Library
Titles by Diane Fanning

BABY BE MINE

GONE FOREVER

THROUGH THE WINDOW

INTO THE WATER

WRITTEN IN BLOOD

A Beautiful Woman,
a Phony Doctor,
and a Shocking Homicide

DIANE FANNING

The names of certain people connected to this story have been changed.

UNDER THE KNIFE

Copyright © 2007 by Diane Fanning.

Cover photo of knife courtesy Corbis Royalty Free. Cover photo of Maria Cruz courtesy Polaris. Cover photo of Dean Faiello courtesy Matthew McDermott/Polaris.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

ISBN: 0-312-93952-3
EAN: 9780312-93952-6

Printed in the United States of America

St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / April 2007

St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

10   9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1

This book is dedicated to Maria Cruz
and to her indomitable spirit in pursuit of the
American Dream

Reference librarians are an often-unheralded gift from the heavens. They know where to look and how to find the tidbits of information that elude the rest of us.

I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Sharon Hoyt, reference librarian at the Burlington County public library in New Jersey. Not only did she doggedly pursue questions presented through official channels, but she became so intrigued with the story that she hunted down other documents for me on her personal time. Thank you, Sharon. Thanks, too, to reference librarian Brad Small at the Newark Public Library and to Doug Eldredge of the Newark Preservation Society.

There were a number of medical professionals who provided pieces of Dean Faiello’s story or who helped expand my knowledge base with important background information: Dr. Elizabeth Harris and Mary Jo Cunningham at the Center for Cosmetic Surgery in San Antonio; anesthesiologist Dr. David Purchase in New Braunfels, Texas; and Dr. Laurie Polis, Dr. Roy Geronemus, Dr. Ernest Isaacson, and Dr. David Goldschmitt in New York.

I owe a huge debt of appreciation to Dan Kelleher of the Office of Professional Development at the New York City Department of Education, to Barbara Nevins Taylor at New York’s Channel 9, to freelance writer Bryon Burrough
and to Jeane MacIntosh and Brad Hamilton at the
New York Post
.

Thanks, too, to Barbara Thompson and Edison Alban at the New York County District Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, to Mary Price in the correspondence unit of the Manhattan Court Clerks Office—no one can ever sing enough praises for the hard-working folks in clerks’ offices everywhere—and to Sister Marguerita Smith, archivist at the Archdiocese of New York.

I offer a standing ovation to Jerry Mitchell and Bart Opsahl, and to Peter Borzotta of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Thanks to Jenny Kennedy, Rolando Divina, Arthur Mayer, Allie Cramer, criminal profiler Pat Brown, attorneys Kerry Brian Flowers, Margaret Shalley and Ellen Bank, Christopher Giglio of Rubenstein Associates, Steve Baltz of the Osteopathic Medical Board of California. Patrick Merla, Charles Flowers of the Lambda Literary Foundation, Pauline Park of the New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy and Kim Brinster of the Oscar Wilde Bookshop.

I’d be remiss if I did not offer a whispered thanks to the people who shared their stories with me but requested anonymity. You all were a great help.

I extend a special thank you to Lynette and May Ann at Curves in New Braunfels for quickly conjuring up a pen and paper and a desktop for my use when returned phone calls arrived in the middle of my workout.

I’ve thanked Joe Cleemann for his excellent editing of other books in the St. Martin’s True Crime Library, but this time, I need to acknowledge his assistance in educating me about the intricacies of navigating New York and directing me to the ethnic restaurants on Ninth Avenue where I scored an excellent lunch. For the editing of this book, I extend my appreciation to my new editor, Yaniv Soha.

As always, my deep and abiding gratitude goes to my wonderful agent Jane Dystel and to executive editor Charles Spicer for their continued faith in me.

And I send an ocean of gratitude to Wayne, a specialist in the care and feeding of a writer, who puts up with my nuttiness and keeps coming back for more.

A PERFECT SPRING DAY DAWNED OVER MANHATTAN ON PALM
Sunday, April 13, 2003. Low morning temperatures rose into the 60s and there wasn’t a cloud in the sunny blue sky. The tall buildings blocked direct light from most of the sidewalks until the sun reached its pinnacle at noon.

Maria Pilar Cruz emerged from her luxury high rise on West 50
^th
Street to greet the glorious morning. She was a small Filipina—only 4′11″ weighing just 90 pounds—but she was large in energy and ambition. Workouts at Crunch gym and jogs in Central Park made her as fit as a 35-year-old woman could be.

Her drive to succeed led her out of the Philippines eleven years earlier, eventually taking her to New York City in 1998, where she earned an MBA in finance and international banking as well as U.S. citizenship. By 2003, she was a highly regarded financial analyst for Barclays, bringing in an annual salary that approached $200,000.

That year was full of promise for Maria. She planned to go back to school to study for an additional advanced degree. She conspired with family members to plan a fabulous celebration for her parents’ fiftieth anniversary. And she anticipated a Christmas visit to the Philippines—her first trip home since arriving in America.

She did not have work or exercise on her mind when she left her apartment building that morning. Her thoughts were on a higher plane. It was time to pay homage to God for the many blessings in her life. She walked a couple of blocks to St. Malachy’s Church for 11
A.M.
mass.

After the service she stopped by a Duane Reed pharmacy near the corner of 50
^th
and Broadway. She then headed across town past the flapping flags at Rockefeller Center, across Fifth Avenue, then turned right onto Park Avenue heading south. Directly in front of her, the elaborate Helmsley Building blocked the forward progress of the avenue.

When she reached the Helmsley, she took the pedestrian tunnel to the other side to reach the MetLife Building at 200 Park Avenue. She took the elevator and entered the offices of the Barclays Capital asset management group at 1 that afternoon. She went to her desk to retrieve a few files she needed for a team meeting on Monday morning.

At 1:30 she left, stopping in the upscale lobby mall to withdraw $400 from an ATM machine. She would need a big part of that for an appointment later that day. Her medical provider asked her to bring cash.

Maria used her credit card at Grand Central Terminal and walked back home. At her apartment, she spread out her files on the dining table and immersed herself in preparation for the next day. Engrossed in her work, she lost track of time and had to hurry off, leaving her home in greater disarray than usual.

She headed down to Chelsea for her appointment, arriving sooner than she’d anticipated. With time to kill, she stopped to shop at Loehmann’s on Seventh Avenue at 16
^th
Street. At 5, she bought a new blouse—size 2—and a pair of size 6 shoes.

She walked a couple of blocks down 16
^th
Street to her
appointment with Dean Faiello. It was not in a conventional medical office—Dean worked out of a friend’s apartment. There he had a laser machine to treat a recurring growth in Maria’s mouth called black hairy tongue syndrome. She’d paid visits to a number of other doctors and endured numerous scrapings before finding Dean on the Internet early in 2003. She was impressed with his meticulousness and his professional bedside manner. She was also beguiled by his charm.