Doctor gets 30 years to life for prescription drug deaths

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A doctor convicted of murder for prescribing exorbitant amounts of painkillers that left three patients dead was sentenced Friday to 30 years to life in prison.

The conviction of Dr. Hsiu-Ying "Lisa" Tseng was rare for a doctor. It came after a dozen of her patients died.

Tseng prescribed "crazy, outrageous amounts of medication" to patients who didn't need the pills, Deputy District Attorney John Niedermann told jurors during her trial. The doctor repeatedly ignored warning signs even after several patients died.

"Something is wrong with what you're doing if your patients are dying," Niedermann said.

Tseng was charged with just three killings because other factors were involved in some of those deaths, such as drugs prescribed by other doctors and a possible suicide.

Tseng's lawyer said the 45-year-old doctor had been naive to prescribe so many medications and didn't think her patients would abuse them.

The powerful painkillers Tseng prescribed included oxycodone, sold as Percocet and other brand names, and hydrocodone, popularly known under the brand name Vicodin.