Addicted to Love | Full Episode | Forensic Files

[Music] okay make a [Laughter] wish Lisa Buchanan was a very attractive young lady it's about love and friendship she
was a very creative type oh honey you look marvelous very free spirited fabiio oh my name is Tara
Bentley I'm Lisa's older [Music] sister when I first saw her I just saw her as a patient and while she was
waiting to see her dentist she saw a sign saying free consultations she walked in she was wearing a ball cap no
makeup this incredible little smile in her bright blue eyes there's something we saw in each other we
enjoyed they looked like a wonderful couple but that really was a veneer that really
hid what was really going on between the two of them it was her intention to put
an end to their relationship that [Music] weekend the July 4th 2005 weekend uh certainly a weekend that you would think
that folks would be out picnicking going to fireworks concerts but they're holed up in Lisa's
apartment having this um SE Marathon I think he really liked the way that she reacted and responded when she
was under the influence of drugs the only time that she was experiencing these drugs was when he gave them to her
she was addicted to Chris koulis and their relationship the drugs were certainly a part of that
relationship he was injecting Lisa repeatedly with this concoction of of Oxycodone that was pulverized ground up
the drugs were coursing through her veins they caused her to collapse suddenly Lisa stopped
breathing that immediately began CPR and call 911 911 emergency St breathing she
wasn't breathing and there was no pass I think that he is is a predator I think that he is a
manipulator I'm Eric Anderson I'm the lead investigator in the case involving the death of Lisa
Buchanan I didn't give Lisa any drugs I loved her they're looking for someone to
blame he wanted her under his control and when you're a doctor and you want control you just have tools at your
disposal that other people don't have Addicted to Love tonight's 48 Hours mystery
[Music] [Applause] [Music] when police were called to Lisa Buchanan's apartment in Franklin
Tennessee straight ahead is the living room kitchen area they were surprised by what they found in this gated
community a cash of prescription drugs and sex toys they found needles they found a lot of
[Music] syringes Lisa and Chris kouis had spent most of that final July 4th weekend of
2005 in her bedroom they stayed in that apartment that weekend engaged in this Marathon sex
session there were so much evidence to collect it was a massive undertaking most crucial say detectives
was the discovery of used syringes with traces of Oxycodone oxycodone is a powerful
narcotic used to kill pain it can be a very addictive and Dangerous Drug abusers like the calming Euphoria
creates the high is immediate and potent it's a controlled substance it's something you can only get from a
prescribing physician you can't just buy it but when Lisa was rushed to the emergency room the doctors trying to
save her say Dr kouis told them nothing about the drug she had been using in fact paramedics say Dr kouis claimed
Lisa had collapsed after her trip to the swimming pool Chris was deceptive he totally
misled them Chris stood there in that ER room didn't tell them about the illegal
drugs didn't tell the ER staff what could have been crucial in Saving her life I just wish that at some point she
had realized how dangerous he was Tara Bentley believed her sister Lisa did not see kouis as she did I think that the
rest of us just felt that any day now she would realize who he was on paper kouis looked pretty good he
was a young handsome plastic surgeon he was a graduate of Vanderbilt University and had a thriving practice by the time
he was 30 Lisa's mother Peggy was thrilled when her daughter met a doctor I thought finally she had met somebody
that was going to make her very happy Dr kulus was very Charming was extremely confident kulus had served his
internship at a Chicago hospital and loved working in the emergency room that was the most exciting for him because it
was rescuing people from Death it was in Nashville in the year 2000 that kulus had that chance meeting
with Lisa Buchanan he became her boyfriend and her doctor you performed numerous procedures on her for free oh
yes how many a redo breast augmentation her eyelids forehead lip augmentation lipos suction full face laser Botox
collagen list goes on Kess also helped Lisa pay the [Music] bills she was struggling to make it as
an actress and [Music] model even at a young age Lisa Buchanan had Big Dreams for herself she was going
to get on TV and she was going to be heard Lisa Buchanan how are you she auditioned for soaps I heard about this
General Hospital thing and I think I'd be really really good out for TV shows I can do love scenes and I can do drama
her most recent Pursuit was to develop a children's puppet show I do have quite a
lovely singing voice don't you think but things just never click for Lisa professionally or personally no
matter how beautiful she was or how beautiful people saw her there was insecurity in her
before kulus Lisa had a string of failed relationships she married young and divorced but from that broken marriage
came one of the best things in her life her daughter Jesse she's so much fun we were best friends I could tell her
anything anything Jesse was happy at first when her mother met Dr koulis we just moved
into this big house and that was so cool I got a huge room and my girlfriend's came over and we had a huge big screen
TV on the wall and and I was cool but it wasn't long says Jesse before she noticed how controlling the
doctor was once I got to know him I didn't really like him he would always call her every 10 minutes wanting to
know where she was it's like stalkerish so protective in a creepy kind of way Lisa and Dr kouis were on again off
again for 5 and 1/2 years according to her sister Tara Lisa was just about to break things off again that final
weekend you just had to hope that maybe this time um it was really going to stick Tara had wondered if Lisa could
ever break away Lisa appeared locked in cis's grip even though the couple spent much of the relationship
apart he lived and practiced in other cities and frequently called Lisa accusing her
of seeing other men there were times that she have to hand the phone to me so that I could
tell him she's with me he wouldn't trust it he over the years Cut Her Off from all her friends alienating all her
friends because of Jealousy on his part and there was something else that concerned Lisa's family Lisa was
becoming ill more frequently in fact her family believes that Dr kouis would convince Lisa she was sick and that he
alone could fix her in one conversation could absolutely convince her that the world was coming to an end
but at the same time he was going to save her from it did you ever see Chris kouis give your mother drugs
yes Jesse has a vivid childhood memory of seeing kouis inject her mother with an unknown drug
drug She fainted and I started screaming mommy he shut the bathroom door and start Bing on the door and he wouldn't
let me see her you saw him administer a shot to her mhm I'll never forget it investigators now believe it was kis
who introduced Lisa to the idea of using drugs to enhance their sexual encounters
I don't think that there's a shred of evidence or proof that she was a drug addict Anderson like Lisa's family
believes she only used drugs when Dr kulus gave them to her but kouis claims he knew Lisa better
than anyone and like it or not he says she was a drug addict certain demons just like we all do and one of them was
drug abuse koua says Lisa hit her IV drug use by injecting herself and concealing areas of the body like her
groin it's a favorite spot of people that want to conceal it but detectives aren't buying it after
a 5-month long investigation Chris kouis is arrested in charge with murder they say he supplied the drugs he injected
her and he is responsible for Lisa Buchanan's death I do believe that he gave her at least one injection if not
multiple injections and he is Absolut absolutely responsible for her death it's been extremely traumatic I am
quite concerned as to what is going to happen charged with killing his girlfriend Lisa Buchanan Chris kouis
faces the possibility of spending the next 25 years in prison but he says he's innocent did you kill Lisa Buchanan
absolutely not the autopsy concluded that Lisa died of an overdose of Oxycodone during the
search of her apartment detectives found only one mostly intact oxycodone pill but the used syringes contained crush
pills and liquid mixed into a slush prosecutors say Lisa was injected with that Slush at least three times
that weekend and in cis's travel bag detectives found an unopened 18 gauge needle the same kind that had been
used that piece of evidence is extremely incriminating Chris kouis is Accused not
only of injecting Lisa Buchanan with the drugs but of supplying them as well despite his denials he's about to be put
on trial facing four charges ranging from simple assault to second degree murder
[Music] murder be SE good morning ladies and gentlemen good morning sir is the state
ready to proceed yes sir thank you Kim helper is Prosecuting Dr kulus the evidence supports the fact that it was
this defendant who was injecting Lisa Buchanan with that oxyc coo mixture Lee Offman is defending the doctor so what
does the evidence show it shows he didn't do it from the facts I could not see how he
could be convicted of [Music] anything but prosecutors are convinced they have a strong circumstantial case
thanks in part to this small video cassette detectives found in Lisa's apartment they had videotaped these sex
acts all weekend long it documents the final hours of Lisa's life and provides Clues to her
death the tape is disturbingly graphic and in some scenes Lisa seems barely conscious so the jurors from this fairly
religious and conservative southern city must sit through a screening of the entire two hours of the sex tape in open
cord it's extremally embarrassing this was never intended to be seen by anybody else but for Lisa N then to be
destroyed your B is perfect that video clearly showed she enjoyed what she was doing she
participated willingly cis's attorneys believe the tape is more damaging to Lisa than to their client I think the
prosecution made a mistake in trying to portray her as just a victim with no fault because clearly she was
not but prosecutors are convinced kouis injected Lisa with drugs to control and dominate her you can see in the
background on occasion where there is a needle laying on the carpet the tape does not show who gave Lisa the
injections but it does show Lisa holding gauze against her groin covering fresh injection marks incriminating evidence
prosecutors say against kulis the evidence on the video clearly shows Chris kou is being aware of uh those
pads and the presence of uh syringes on the tape kouis can be heard telling Lisa
to apply pressure to the area to stop some bleeding it was being portrayed as proof
that I gave Lisa narcotics in fact it did not show that at all all right ladies and gentlemen that will conclude
everything for today kolis maintains Lisa and Ed herself in the groin that weekend quite easy it is
absolutely not so according to Tennessee's Chief State medical examiner Dr Bruce Levy when you see a series of
injections in a nice straight line like that you know that it had to have been done to her he feels quite strongly that
the injections in her groin were made by an expert like a doctor if you're off by as much as a
half of an inch it can be deadly and making it even more difficult for Lisa to inject herself says Levy is
the fact that she was impaired by drugs at the time I think it was very clear evidence that Dr kulus was responsible
for the injection there there's just no other alternative that makes sense to bolster that claim Lisa's
family points to this picture they say was taken just days before her death there was not a mark on her body and
there was not a sign of drug use in her behavior her attitude nothing all week long she was perfectly
[Music] healthy defense we call Dr Chris culus to testify on his own behalf all right
Dr culis if you come around please sir Chris kouis and his attorneys believe he has no choice but to take the stand to
defend himself will't leave bet TR to S help you die I do please he tells the jury that he tried
repeatedly to get Lisa to stop abusing drugs Lisa promised she'd stop she'd go up and down she'd stop she start she
stop she start I told her do you have to do that and then I told her I know you want to but I don't want you to you're
going to kill yourself we've talked about this why didn't you just leave I'll side the I'm an idiot because I
loved her and I want to be with her I want to be with her and so to make her happy you look the
other way I was unable to stop her one way or the other she wanted to get high and she was going to get
high what precis was I supposed to do tackle her prosecutor Kim helper doesn't believe kouis she confronts him about
his callus behavior that weekend well you've just said that in this case Lisa was laying back because she became High
correct in this case she laid back yes ma'am so she wasn't walking around no she wasn't
alert she was impaired but she went ahead and had sex with her anyway didn't you sir yes ma'am
in fact the doctor repeatedly had sex with Lisa even though she had complained of shoulder and chest pain that weekend
symptoms that kouis concedes could have signaled a heart attack Lisa had a very bad headache she
all complaining of shoulder pain and left arm pain and uh she was having palpitations
her heart was beating rapidly but you continued to have sex with her because she said everything went away she felt
fine it's a woman you love sure yes ma'am and is it a fair assessment to say that you were thinking
about yourself on that day I was and you were not thinking about Lisa were you I
was thinking about myself yes that may not have been the only time kulus was just thinking about
himself prosecutors are about to introduce details of a previous incident one in which kouis has freely admitted
injecting Lisa Buchanan with addictive drugs prosecutors from firly believe Chris kouis killed Lisa Buchanan that L
weekend and they say it isn't the first time he put her life in danger I think it's extremely relevant
and important for a jury to understand that in the past it has been his Habit to inject her with drugs Kim helper
points to an incident back in 2002 that was eerily similar at the time Lisa and kulus were briefly living together in
Kentucky I was going through a very difficult time financially things were falling
apart and one day there was demeral that was left over and I had the really bad idea to try
it and I did and I was probably instantly addicted to it Dr kulis says he was shooting up frequently where'd
you get the demoll it was from my office I had a surgical center so you stole it
from your office it's from my office and in the M of his own downward spiral kouis admits he got Lisa addicted as
well when she asked me for it I gave it to her I was impaired at the time I realized as at some certain
friends of mine that this could continue that I was not myself I was not as productive and I realized that I needed
help things got so bad that cis's parents intervened and came to take him to rehab Lisa stayed behind someone
called me and said that I needed to go check on her Lisa's mother Peggy says she will never forget the condition in
which she found her daughter it was the most horrific site I've ever seen in my life bottles syringes Blood on the floor
they had her on a mattress she was completely incoherent it was horrific Peggy says she and her friend
quickly scooped up some of the drugs and rushed Lisa to the hospital I mean she had injection sores on her
body that were that big around right over here on our left is uh where Lisa and Chris couis lived in 2002 Bobby Pate
at the boom County Sheriff's Office was assigned to investigate she was ejected in both hands and the arms the groin
area and in the feet they were infected and their hands and feet were probably about twice as size as normal Pete met
with Lisa at the hospital and says she accused kulus of injecting her against her will there was times where she he
chased her around the room to get her a shot when she didn't want one and that he called her a hypochondriac cuz she
was complaining about the infections the sores and stuff and he shot her up some
more she stated that Chris said that he this was just do it for fun uh it would enhance the sexual
pleasure let's do this for fun let's just do this for fun at his trial prosecutor Kim helper confronts the
doctor about the earlier con incident she was in pretty bad shape when you left is that true no ma'am she's walking
talking and Lucid we had breakfast she said goodbye to me at the door didn't just leave her in the
basement and leave that's a misc characterization maybe so but Kentucky authorities arrested him anyway on
several serious charges including drug trafficking Lisa Buchanan was our star witness in the case Lisa gave
authorities this handwritten letter she received from Dr kulus after after he entered rehab in it he takes the full
blame for getting her hooked on painkillers supplying them injecting her and admitting she had no prior history
of drug abuse before they met but it wasn't enough to convict him he hurt Lisa in
2002 and you know he he got away with it Lisa's family believes he got away with
it because he scared her out of testifying against him they said he convinced her she was also in trouble
and could lose custody of her daughter Chris just absolutely convinced her that she could lose Jesse and that the police
were lying to her that the da was lying to her and no matter what she just believed him I think the fear was so
real kouis denies he made any threats but Lisa stopped cooperating and the case against him collapsed kouis ended
up pleading guilty to to just one of the 20 drug charges and was given probation
no prison time and within a short period he was back to practicing medicine again
what happened in 2002 that was horrific we went to hen back she did and I did but despite that
hell Lisa could not let go of Chris kouis for her family it was difficult to accept you don't understand why
why she was listening to him there aren't words because you can't because you don't understand it you're the one
that ejected her first true yes sir I did in court Dr kulus accepts blame for introducing Lisa to illegal drug use
you're a doctor what were you thinking what I was thinking I was wrong I shouldn't have done
it I should have done it to me and I should certainly sure as hell not have done it to
her I was responsible I felt responsible if he appeared contrite when speaking to the jurors it was a
different Chris kouis who spoke to us later blaming Lisa Buchanan for her own drug problems did you get her addicted
to drugs I provided her I made available to her did you get her addicted to drugs I
think the choice of addiction is her own when I recognized that I was addicted I
got help I got her help from that point on all bets are off you realized how addictive this drug was the first time
you used it absolutely and you introduced this to your girlfriend you provided the drugs to her he gave her
the syringes I was wrong in doing so and you're saying that it was her responsibility to get clean yes it is
her respons to stay clean I don't think I bear respons her death guilty or not call Dr gr cis's lawyers
are hoping to throw a huge wrench into the case with experts who will testify that it was not a drug overdose that
killed Lisa Buchanan after [Music] all an early fall morning in Franklin Tennessee
as most of the city's police force proudly gathers for a group photograph it's a department that may be
unaccustomed to the attack it's facing from Chris cis's attorneys we realized that they were going to hold us under a
microscope and look to exploit anything that wasn't absolutely 100% perfect defense lawyers are highly
critical of what they consider sloppy police work even suggesting that detectives failed to properly isolate
Lisa's apartment the crime scene how do you know that those items that you say were in that apartment they hadn't been
moved around detective Anderson bristles at the question saying the apartment was
secured almost immediately the locks were changed no one had access the apartment was Secure from that point on
unless well unless what unless your client broke in to the apartment then the apartment was Secure
but mistakes were made like losing evidence medicine bottles from Lisa's apartment that detectives forgot to take
from the hospital the day she died we had been going several hours into days in this investigation so it had slipped
our mind at that time to go get those pills and when we finally realized we need to go back and get those pill
bottles by the time we went back there the hospital had already destroyed it slipped your
mind an even bigger for prosecutors is a defense challenge to the very heart of this case what killed Lisa Buchanan if
she did take the oxycodone that's not what killed her Dr Michael Graham a forensic
pathologist and medical examiner testifies for the defense that the drug didn't kill her the filler
did that's the pattery material used to give shape and form to the pills when they're made it was the filler and then
the reaction to that filler is what I think tipped her over the edge drug abusers crush pills mix
them with liquid and inject them into their veins for a quicker high but Graham explains that over time tiny
particles of crush filler can build up and clog blood vessels in the lungs and that he says is exactly what happened to
Lisa Buchanan injecting crushed up pills over a long period of time caused her death suddenly she was so pluged Ed up
that it stopped the heart and she died of a heart attack you don't get that from an occasional use it took months to
years to form those things it came from Lisa injecting herself when he wasn't around but prosecutors argue the defense
theory of what killed Lisa is only partially true that in fact it was both the filler and the narcotic working
together that caused her death the filler was impacted the lungs the oxycodone was suppressing some of her
breathing mechanism and I would suggest to you that the evidence fully supports the state's assertion that Lisa Buchanan
died at the hands of this defendant there's no proof he did and because of that you just got to find him not
guilty as the case goes to the jury Lisa's family is concerned over what the verdict may be we hope is convicted and
there's nothing he can say to me there's nothing he can say to that Court there's
nothing he can say to my family the change what happened so Dr kouis is left to wait
facing the possibility of spending his next 25 years in prison left unanswered is the question of how an ambitious
young doctor a plastic surgeon ended up here Dr kulus is an extremely in intelligent person he went into medical
school at age 19 if that tells you something all he did was work work work so Dr culus never had the time to
enjoy his youth his immaturity caught up with him so he was in the middle of an extended adolescence
when he met Lisa Buchanan I don't think he ever matured standing trial for murdering his girlfriend though maybe
very sobering and Lisa's family hopes the jwelry holds kouis responsible for her death it is just my prayer and it
has always been my prayer that he can never do this to anyone else [Music] over the course of a number of months or
years Lisa did something which caused her significant internal damage and ultimately that's why she
died and that would have happened I believe whether I was there or a day later or a week later a month
later she's responsible for own actions just as I [Music] am ladies and gentlemen this does
conclude the the instructions and the closing arguments it is time for you to uh to take this case and make your
decision they began deliberations about 9:15 this morning here at the courthouse
nearly 2 weeks after the trial began the jury begins to liberating in the Lisa Buchanan murder case it is tense
everybody right now waiting it's been a challenge for prosecutors who've had only
circumstantial evidence to rely on do you think you'll win a conviction I would like to think
so but I think I've been around long enough to know uh that when it gets into the hands of the jury you just can't
predict jurors have four charges to consider ranging from simple assault to Second agree
murder you are so beautiful the wild card is there's no telling how jurors will react to the sex video oh my God
but prosecutor Kim helper felt she had no choice the evidence on the tape from the state's perspective was too
important uh to not show it they say they want to see exhibit 203 212 and 213 that is the videotape in fact just one
hour into the deliberations the juror's request to see the video again we're just hoping and praying that
they understand that this man is guilty because of the chemistry between the two
and the drug use it was just destined for something terrible to happen it was just a Fatal
Attraction all the jurors take less than a day to reach a verdict the courtroom is tense as each charge is read as count
one of the indictment on the charge of second degree murder what say you not guilty as to count two of the indictment
on the charge of Reckless homicide what say you not guilty as to the charge of criminally
negligent homicide what say you guilty very well that shall end your deliberations guilty but not of murder
Lisa Buchanan's family is devastated kouis now faces just months in prison instead of years
Lisa's daughter Jesse runs from the courtroom in tears I was really upset almost more
upset than the night when I found out like she passed away what was hardest was hearing the
same cries from Jesse that I had to hear the night her mom died for kouis and his attorneys the
verdict is is welcome news even with the felony conviction I'm reliev that it's over I accept the verdict of the jury
and to traged Lisa died should never happened did the jury conclude that Chris kouis Bears some responsibility
for Lisa Buchanan's death with the finding of criminally negligent homicide they are saying that as a doctor
he should have done more to prevent her from killing herself not according to the jurors we spoke with I agree with
they told us they didn't buy the doctor's testimony or his innocence but felt there just wasn't any hard evidence
to convict him of murder a good majority of us thought that he probably did the injection but we couldn't there's no way
to know for sure they couldn't prove that he directly acted to kill her you still maintain that Chris kis killed
Lisa buenon yes sir and I think the jury agreed with me and quite frankly we just
didn't have a photo uh putting Chris kouis with a needle in his hand injecting Lisa
Buchanan Court finds the defendant's testimony to be lacking in credibility at sentencing judge Jeff Biven showed
little sympathy for kouis while the court is mindful of the fact that the victim Miss
Buchanan was in many ways a knowing and willing participant in the activities of
that tragic weekend that does not diminish the defendant's criminal conduct and culpability he sentences
kouis to two years in prison the maximum sentence allowed but he's expected to serve less than half of that can you do
the time can I do the time to have a choice after he's sentenced it's unclear just when the doctor will be imprisoned
he leaves the courtroom not in handcuffs but on $500,000 Bond paid by his parents
to keep him free while his attorneys appeal the conviction cis's limited sentence and
the fact that he's free pending appeal is hard for daughter Jesse to accept I get mad I like to tell myself that I've
forgiven him because we were close I mean I I lived with him and I've known him for so long too but
when the really hard days come it's really hard to forgive them she even reached out writing a very
personal letter to Kus Chris I've been thinking about this letter for months it's consumed me what do I say to the
man that took my mom away it's been a long 2 years and I still tell myself she's coming back
you know you're responsible for her death and you think of me and my family try to imagine what we have been through
and how much we miss her Lisa's sister Tara in the end this two shall pass and someday he'll stand
before God no one could have predicted the next bizarre twist in this story 5 years after Lisa's death and
with his appeal still pending Chris kouis was found dead at her friend's apartment a former
nestville plastic surgeon convicted in the death of his modal girlfriend has died toxicology reports just released
list the cause of death as bronchial pneumonia due to opiate intoxication a drug overdose my duty to my client
extends Beyond his death because cis's case was in appeal his attorney David Raven was able to get his 2007
conviction dropped by the state's Court of Criminal Appeals however the Attorney General's
office is fighting to have that conviction reinstated enough is enough this case is over with the conviction
should be vacated um and let Dr couis rest in peace Dr Chris kulus never served one day of his sentence in jail
there's no satisfaction there's no real peace there's no Vengeance there's no no
anger there's no there's no hate just you're dealt a certain set of cards and you just have to do what you can
with them [Music] he [Music]

A plastic surgeon's risky affair with a patient turns deadly ... now, a shocking new death. "48 Hours Mystery" correspondent Troy Roberts reports. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Lisa Buchanan's death from a drug overdose leads to Dr. Chris Koulis's trial for murder, revealing a toxic relationship and manipulation.

Key points

Addicted to Love. The tragic story of Lisa Buchanan and her controlling relationship with Chris Koulis.
The Final Weekend. Investigators uncover the shocking details of Lisa and Chris's last days together.
A Dangerous Relationship. Lisa's family reveals the manipulative nature of Chris Koulis and his influence over her.
The Trial Begins. Chris Koulis faces trial for the murder of Lisa Buchanan, with shocking evidence presented.
A Mother's Pain. Lisa's mother recalls the horrific state she found her daughter in during a previous incident.
A Family's Heartbreak. Lisa's family reacts to the verdict, expressing their devastation and loss.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I think that he is a predator.

Eric Anderson, lead investigator, on Chris Koulis.

2:28WatchFeb 11, 2025

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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