Queens

‘Coward' Who Got Away With Murder: Prosecutor, Judge Rip Woman's 1-Year Sentence for Deadly Butt Injection

Kelly Mayhew died after a butt injection in a Queens basement in 2015; her mother had traveled with her from Maryland and witnessed the horror

What to Know

  • A woman who pleaded guilty to killing another woman in a botched silicone butt injection was sentenced Thursday to a year in jail
  • Donna Francis pleaded guilty to administering the buttocks injections that killed 34-year-old Kelly Mayhew in May 2015 in a Queens basement
  • Francis fled to England and prosecutors negotiated a deal to bring her back to NYC, but it meant no more than a year in jail and no Rikers

A woman from England who pleaded guilty to performing a deadly butt enhancement procedure in a Queens basement several years ago was reluctantly sentenced Thursday to one year in prison by a judge who told her she got away with murder. 

Donna Francis had no medical license when she performed the procedure on 34-year-old Kelly Mayhew on May 30, 2015. Mayhew had traveled to the city with her mom from Maryland and paid Francis $1,600 for the augmentation.

Francis injected Mayhew with silicone gel she bought from eBay; the silicone entered Mayhew’s bloodstream and killed her, officials and court papers have said. Silicone is an industrial lubricant commonly used on the underground market to plump up body parts, particularly the lips and the buttocks. It is banned for cosmetic purposes in the United States.

Mayhew's mother watched her die, begging Francis for help when she stopped breathing, detectives told the I-Team. Afterwards, Francis fled to England and prosecutors had to negotiate a deal to bring her back. That deal capped out her potential sentence at a year and was structured to avoid her serving any time at Rikers Island. Francis has been in custody in Suffolk County since she came back to New York and once her sentence is up, which will be in just a matter of months, she'll be deported back to England. 

Both prosecutors and the judge told Francis in court Thursday they were disappointed with the sentence. The prosecutor called the British woman a coward nearly 10 times as the judge claimed she had gotten away with murder.

Mayhew's mother didn't speak in court. Her son read a statement on the family's behalf, saying they were still devastated by their loss. 

In court Thursday, Francis cried as she told Mayhew's family she was sorry. 

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