Tina Sodhi paid $2,000 for health treatment in Florida but never came home; doctor charged with manslaughter one year later

A year after Tina Sodi’s death, a doctor at a Miami health center has been charged with manslaughter.

Tina Sodhi, 51, was found unresponsive on February 10, 2025, at a wellness home where she had paid $2,000 for a three-day wellness retreat. More than a year later, Dr. Samul Lee has now been arrested on a second-degree felony manslaughter charge after medical examiners found Sodhi had taken drugs such as MDMA and ketamine, which caused dehydration, also caused by prolonged exposure to high temperatures inside the sauna. Dehydration was confirmed as the cause of death.

Heart Agreement Ceremony

The wellness program Sodi takes up at Sabia Health Center is called Heart Protocol Ritual, and is described as a therapeutic method that helps participants connect with their higher self. Soddy was also forced to sign a waiver acknowledging that her participation was voluntary and that she understood the potential risks and side effects of the substances used.During the investigation, Miami Beach police consulted with an independent physician who concluded that Lee’s actions “reflected an extreme and unreasonable departure from accepted safety and clinical practices,” court documents said.Lee’s attorneys entered a not guilty plea last week and requested a jury trial. His medical license in Texas has been suspended, with the board saying his “practice practices pose a threat to the public welfare.”Attorney Richard Cooper, who represents the owners of Sabia Health Home, said: “We are grateful that the police and the State Attorney’s Office recognized the truth in this case and my client accepts no responsibility for this tragedy. Western medicine has some very effective alternatives, but if they are not performed to the highest standards, tragedies can happen.”CBS News Miami reported that they visited the property where the ceremony was held, but the owner was not present. The shop owner’s father said his daughter had gone abroad. Court documents show the owners also participated in the “heart agreement” ceremony.