It looks like LaToya Jackson might just be right, after all. The L.A. County coroner’s office has ruled that the death of Michael Jackson was not an accidental overdose. Jackson had quite a cocktail of sedatives in his system, including Valium and lorazepam, in addition to the much-covered dose of propofol. According to E! News, it’s looking more and more like Jackson’s private doctor, Conrad Murray, is going to be on the hook, possibly facing manslaughter charges for his role in the death.
The cause of Michael Jackson’s death? Homicide.
According to a published report citing a law enforcement official close to the case, the popster died as the result of criminal wrongdoing, making it likelier than ever that his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, will now face involuntary manslaughter charges.
Meanwhile E! News has obtained a search warrant affidavit unsealed today in Houston quoting Los Angeles County coroner’s officials as saying Jackson had lethal levels of propofol in his system when he died.
“Toxicology analysis shows Michael Jackson had lethal levels of propofol in his blood,” reads the court document.
Per the affidavit, Murray told the LAPD he’d been treating the 50-year-old singer for insomnia for six weeks and giving him 50 milligrams of the powerful anesthetic intravenously every night.
The doctor not only acknowledged that he obtained and administered propofol on June 25, the morning Jackson died, but he also admitted to leaving the King of Pop under the influence of the drug when he left the room to tend to other business.
The plot thickens.
According to Murray’s account, Jackson was having trouble sleeping the night of June 24. Noticing that the Moonwalker was forming what he believed was an addiction, the doctor claimed he had been trying to ween him off propofol for some time with little success and, as a result, initially withheld the drug traditionally used only in hospitals and monitored by an anesthesiologist.
Instead, he gave Jackson the milder sedative Valium at 1:30 a.m.. With Jackson still awake, he next tried giving him a shot of lorazepam at 2 a.m. followed by midazolam. When those failed to have any effect, Murray said he then decided to give him 25 milligrams of propofol, which induced sleep right away.
But in perhaps the affidavit’s biggest bombshell, the cardiologist admitted to detectives that he left Jackson alone to go make phone calls to his Houston office and family members. When he returned, Murray found Jackson had stopped breathing. He immediately began performing CPR as one of the entertainer’s employees dialed 911.
Such admissions don’t bode well for the doc, whom police are considering charging with involuntary manslaughter. However, while it’s now coming out that M.J. had lethal levels of the drug in his body, the L.A. County Coroner’s office still has not issued an official cause of death.
Autopsy results have been delayed indefinitely.
One thing Murray can breathe a little easier about: Investigators have not discovered any evidence that the doc bought propofol under his medical license or that he had obtained it illegally, noting Jackson had apparently been prescribed the medication from several other doctors, two of whom were reportedly based in Germany.
“Autopsy results have been delayed indefinitely.” Why? Between this and the Jackson family’s inability to bury the body, I am more convinced than ever that something sneaky is going on here. How long does it take to do an autopsy? I believe the family and Jackson’s handlers are trying to keep some major secrets here. Why else would it take two months to complete an autopsy and bury his remains? Anyway, this Dr. Murray had better get used to the inside of a courtroom. Something tells me he’s going to be spending a lot of time in one soon.
My feeling is that he gave Michael what he asked and paid for, and it ended up killing him. The family doesn’t want the extent of his medical problems publicized, imo, because of track marks all over his body and his hair loss. I agree that something is being covered up, and I think that the doctor is being used as a scapegoat – even though he used very poor judgement with enabling Michael’s apparent addiction.
He killed himself, anyone who drug themself are idiots.
Many questions and inconsistencies. I’d like to see the results of MJ’s medical evaluation by Dr. David Slavitt, (hired by AEG).
MJ’s drug abuse may have started as long ago as 30 years, post his first rhinoplasty.
The problem is, when you are a DOCTOR, you treat people for their medical conditions, not GIVE THEM WHAT THEY ASKED AND PAID FOR! Any doctor that is that irresponsible as to get a patient WHATEVER they want needs to not only be stripped of their license to practice medicine, but also brought up on wreckless homicide charges.
My father is a doctor in California, and he would NEVER give a patient a scrip for anything other than what they needed for their condition. He has had MANY drug addicted patinets try and have him write scrips for things and not only does he say no, but he will warn other doctors who that patient may go to, about their requests, in the event the new doctor asks for the patients file.
Being a doctor does not mean that you let patients steam roll you into doing what they say. There are DRUG DEALERS who you go to to get what you ask and pay for, you do not expect a doctor to forget the oath that he took to help people.
People are failing to see that this man was greedy and irresponsible in his actions. He was the physician NOT Michael Jackson. Hell, I want a millions dollars, but just because I want it, does not mean I can go into a bank, ask for it and I am given that money. Just because Michael asked, does mean that those requests have to be granted. A real doctor prescribes medicine for ailmets physical or mental, they do not prescribe because the patient “wants” it. He failed at his duty to be a doctor and what he did was ILLEGAL!
Micahel Jackson was a drug addict. A doctor, who has any degree of intelligence and decency would not only recognize that but excuse himself from having that person as a patient, as well as advise the patient that he has a problem, neither of which Dr.Murray did. He is responsible for continuing to let an addict use, as well as administering SEVERAL drugs to Michael Jackson, in addition to the Propofol, which were not legal to posses outside of a hospital.
Well said, Firestarter. What ever happened to the Hippocratic Oath?
hmmm… so is he in trouble for administering the propofol and then leaving the room or administering it at all to begin with? cuz I would imagine that he would not be expected to sit there watching him all night… I mean, if a drug is THAT dangerous, then maybe it shouldn’t be administered?
Use of propofol is generally limited to patients who are in ICU and need sedation to handle the pain/ventilator, etc. I have never seen it used on a hospital floor. Why should he feel any better that somebody else prescribed the damn drug if he administered it? Unfortunately the case is so public that they will have no chance but to make an example of this guy, no matter that Michael was committing slow suicide. But that’s what he gets for helping him.
Fizgirl- Propofol is administered in the OR when you are going under general anesthesia. You are,as a health care provider expected to sit and monitor the patient as it cause severe respiratory depression and need to be ventilated. It is never meant to be administrated outside the OR or ICU setting
OOH-sorry about my misspelling
I’m actually getting propofol for a minor outpatient procedure in two days, but I will be monitored by a physician and nurse anesthetist during and after until it’s safe to release me. It’s being done at a surgi-center located 5 minutes away from a hospital.
That said, this doctor was clearly negligent in both his administration of a lethal drug cocktail and failure to monitor his patient properly.
Re: the autopsy – my late father-in-law died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs last year (all prescibed by VA docs) and it took 9 weeks to get the results.
who cares?
he’s dead and forgotten.
Uh…Anj…a lot of ppl care because they are fans of his…if u r not…u have no right to comment about what OTHER PPL want to 2 hear.
I only pull this out for special occasions: OMG. Who cares? A) he is of no relation or friendship to anyone but family members, therefore it is insane the amount of time that has been wasted on tributes, memorials, news stories, etc. and B) Keeping a dead body around for 2 months is just gross. It’s unhygienic, and whatever parts of his body that were still organic materials are undoubtedly starting to smell.
And to those who come to a celebrity gossip website to wax poetic over dead icons, you’re an idiot. Go to a tribute site with your virtual tears.
I agree that something is being covered up, and I think that the doctor is being used as a scapegoat – even though he used very poor judgment with enabling Michael’s apparent addiction.
dang. it just gets messier and messier. RIP MJ.
Finally! Another step in this file.
Cops aren’t geniuses over there. A personnal doctor who escapes and stopped 3 months later. Questions should have right away been more early on him, no?
What a damn shit man who abuses of naivety and money of his patient! I really think MJ is not the only one.
Anyway, MJ RIP!
Totally agree with Jag. Something’s being swept under the rug. I grew up listening to his music through all his phases. Sort of lost track of him the last few years after all the weird publicity, and the even weirder changes to his face, but I still feel this is just a horrible way for his life to end. He was surrounded by sycophants, not by those who loved him. No matter what, imo that’s a shame.
Oh, and Sheigh, honey, no offense meant – you might want to think about taking an English class. Somewhere in there I think you made a good point, but it is unintelligible.
May Justice be done for MJ and his family, RIP…
@ dancingnancy, I’m pretty sure they have the body packed away in a freezer. No smell will come forth. 😆
Firestarter,I agree there was irresponsibility in this case, but just one thing I disagree with, this guy didn’t prescribe the medication. The article says that MJ had already gotten the scrip from numerous other sources. Obviously someone took care to make sure these doctors were out of country, but it sounds to me like a whole crap-load of people are involved in this mess.
and people can crap all over me for this one, but I fail to see how MJ was daily going around with this cocktail in his system, and drugged into comatose sleep through the night, and people still think he was a “great dad”. What happened if his kids needed him at night ?
Worse kind of negligent homicide and medical malfeasance I’ve ever seen. You don’t administer an O.R. grade anesthetic outside the confines of a hospital and you certainly don’t go traipsing off to text your family and buddies while it’s being used. I hope the man loses his medical license and gets put away for a long time for this.
Move over Anna Nicole. It’ll all die down eventually and no one will get jail time.
Not like he went up the block, bought crack, and then overdosed. He had a trained doctor who took an oath to protect life not harm it. People walk into doctors offices every day and ask for pain killers and are turned away because they show signs of addiction. He knew better but did it anyway because he had financial problems and needed the money.
There is no evidence of a script to MJ for Propofol because you do not administer it outside of a doctors office. People need to stop spreading bad information.