The owner of a Texas wellness spa is facing a felony murder charge after one of her customers allegedly died from an IV treatment.
Jenifer Cleveland, 47, visited the Luxe Medspa in Wortham, Texas, in July 2023, where she ordered and received an IV infusion that was filled with vitamins and electrolytes.
The IV was administered by an unlicensed individual working at the spa, say prosecutors. Approximately half an hour after receiving the IV, Cleveland suffered a cardiac arrest and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Amber Johnson, the owner of the spa, turned herself in to the Freestone County Jail on Tuesday, April 28, according to PEOPLE.
She has been charged with felony murder, criminally negligent homicide, manslaughter, tampering with physical evidence, practicing medicine without a license, and nine counts of delivery of a dangerous drug, according to a Freestone County Jail spokesperson.
Johnson was released on April 28 on a $69,000 bond.
Following Cleveland’s final autopsy, it was determined that she died from “sudden cardiac death of uncertain etiology,” with the report noting that the IV therapy “cannot be definitely ruled-in or ruled-out as contributory.”
However, the Texas Medical Board investigated the death and determined in 2024 that Cleveland died “due to the improper administration” of an IV therapy.
According to PEOPLE, the IV contained TPN electrolytes, which require a slow infusion rate due to the high concentration of potassium found in the mixture.
If too much potassium is delivered directly to the bloodstream in a short amount of time, it can cause fatal cardiac arrhythmias.
Johnson did not have a medical license and operated the medspa despite Texas laws prohibiting anyone without medical licensure from being the majority owner of medical practices.
Dr Michael Gallagher worked with Johnson as the spa’s medical director. He has also been charged in Cleveland’s death and faces a single count of murder, manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and multiple counts relating to the provision of dangerous drugs.
He was arrested and was released on a $96,500 bond on April 29.
Gallagher’s medical license was suspended in 2023 amid the investigation into Cleveland’s death.
Cleveland’s husband, Brian Cleveland, is suing Luxe Medspa for wrongful death, and helped to get a law passed in his wife’s name that introduces regulations on the administration of IV therapies.
“Naming the legislation after Jenifer is maybe her way of giving back… Continue to help even though she’s not physically still here with us, that she’s always gonna be right here in the heart,” he told KCEN in April 2025.
Under the new law, every IV session has to be ordered by a qualified prescriber — which includes physicians, physician assistants, or nurse practitioners — and only medical professionals can administer the IVs.
The law — called “Jenifer’s Law” — was signed by Governor Gregg Abbott in June.
