PHOENIX -- A Valley cosmetic surgeon faces murder charges in the deaths of three of his patients.

WATCH: Cosmetic Surgeon Indicted In Patient Deaths

The county attorney's office Friday indicted Dr. Peter Normann on three separate counts after three of his patients died within a one-year period while being treated at his clinic.

Normann was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of manslaughter.

The victims were Ralph Gonzalez, Alicia Santizo Blanco and Leslie Ann Ray.

The grand jury also indicted an employee at the clinic, Jose "Joey" Lopez, 26, for practicing medicine without a license, a class five felony.

"Patients have every right to place their trust in doctors," said Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas. "When that trust is violated, and death results, our office will not hesitate to act to protect the public."

In October 2007, the Arizona Medical Board found Normann to be responsible and revoked his medical license. The board said he performed two of the surgeries, but allowed an unlicensed doctor to do the third.

Investigators said they discovered none of Normann's employees had any formal medical training.

"This is a very egregious situation when you have three patients die for what shouldn't be that serious an issue -- a liposuction," said Medical Relations Officer Roger Downey of the Arizona Medical Board at the time.

VIDEO: CBS 5 News Report From Oct. 2007

Normann was called "an imminent threat to public safety" by the board.

On Sept. 25, 2007, an administrative law judge backed the Board's decision to suspend his license and recommended the license be revoked.

During the administrative hearing, witnesses said Normann created "a surgical nightmare" at his office in Anthem.

According to unsealed exhibits in the administrative law case, Normann had seven sessions where he learned about liposuction, the same number of classes he attended to learn about hair restoration.

As a result of this case, the Arizona Medical Board came up with new rules for doctors who perform surgeries in their own offices. They're now required to have trained staff and an emergency plan.

First Death Occurred In 2006

In December 2006, Gonzalez went into cardiac arrest during cosmetic surgery. He died at a local hospital, according to a report from the Sheriff's Office, which conducted the investigation of Normann.

The Sheriff's Office also investigated the April 2007 death of Santizo Blanco, who had received a fat injection for cosmetic purposes. According to the Arizona Medical Board, it appears the fat was injected into a blood vessel which then found its way to the patient's heart and lungs, causing death.

The death prompted on-site inspections by the Medical Board which found that Normann did not have any employees with formal medical training. The board then restricted Normann from performing any surgeries or conscious sedation until further order of the board.

In July 2007 a third patient died at Normann's clinic following a liposuction procedure. According to the sheriff's report, Norman advised the patient, Leslie Ray, that his associate would be performing the surgery. The associate was not licensed to perform surgery. He was licensed as a homeopathic practitioner.