LUYAO JURY REHEARS ME TESTIMONY

FORT PIERCE -- The jurors deliberating the fate of a suspended Port
St. Lucie doctor accused of over-prescribing powerful narcotics will
continue to mull the evidence today after they took an hour Thursday
to listen for a second time to testimony about the death of one of
her patients.

Asuncion Luyao, 64, is charged with six counts of manslaughter in the
deaths of six patients, which prosecutors say were caused by Luyao's
unscrupulous prescription practices. Thursday marked the jury's
second full day of deliberations. More local news Latest breaking
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The jurors asked to listen to a recording of the testimony of Dr.
Roger Mittleman, the Treasure Coast's medical examiner, who conducted
the autopsy of Robert Gustaf, a former patient of Luyao's linked to
one of the manslaughter charges.

Luyao prescribed methadone for Gustaf, a general contractor from
Jensen Beach, after he came to her saying he wanted help coming off
other painkillers. Mittleman said Gustaf had a severe case of
pneumonia when he died, but also had an "extraordinary level of
methadone in his system."

He said Gustaf's death was caused by a methadone overdose with pneumonia.

"He is just above and beyond what we'd normally expect from someone
just walking around with methadone in his body," Mittleman testified.

The jury had also originally asked to listen to the recording of
testimony from Dr. Ronald Wright, an independent medical examiner who
testified on behalf of the defense. Wright testified that he believes
Gustaf died of pneumonia.

But after listening to Mittleman the jury told Senior Judge Dwight
Geiger they didn't need to listen to Wright's testimony again.

The jury Thursday also sent a note to Geiger asking which pieces of
evidence shows the official cause of deaths for four other patients
linked to the manslaughter charges. The judge attempted to answer
that question by giving the jury a copy of the evidence list.