Woman convicted in fatal butt injection procedure gone wrong at Burlingame hotel

Suspect charged in alleged butt injection death of Bay Area model granted bail

The woman accused of giving a fatal injection during an unlicensed cosmetic procedure is being released from the San Mateo County jail.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - A woman was convicted of delivering a fatal buttocks injection during an unlicensed cosmetic procedure at a Burlingame hotel, prosecutors said.

Conviction details

What we know:

Vivian Gomez, 53, was convicted Mondat of involuntary manslaughter and practicing medicine without a license in the April 2023 death of Christina Ashten Gourkani, a social media influencer known for resembling Kim Kardashian.

The procedure

The backstory:

Prosecutors said Gomez, a Florida-based cosmetologist, administered a lethal silicone injection into Gourkani’s buttocks on April 19, 2023.

Authorities said Gomez traveled from Florida to the Bay Area and performed the illegal procedure at a Marriott hotel in Burlingame. Shortly afterward, Gourkani became ill and died the following day.

Cause of death

"She had an infection, causing a pulmonary embolism, which of course can always be fatal," San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said previously.

Prosecutors said silicone was found in Gourkani’s bloodstream, leading to respiratory failure and a pulmonary embolism.

Status

What's next:

Gomez returned to Florida after the procedure, where she was later arrested and extradited to California.

She had been out on bail and remained in California as a condition of her release.

After Monday's verdict, Gomez was remanded to custody. Her sentencing is set for May 5.