Yesterday we heard that a photo of Michael Jackson nude after he was deceased and was laid out was shown on live television during the trial of Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray. The Daily Mail, TMZ and The Mirror have published the photo of Jackson and none gave a warning about it or obscured the photo other than covering his private parts, which was already a part of the image before it was shown in the courtroom. (I’m not going to post the links here, you can find them easily enough if you’re interested.) I was really shocked and saddened to see the photo right on TMZ’s website and on the front page without a lead-in. Even though this is my job, I probably wouldn’t have clicked on it if they would have given me a choice. I don’t like to see dead people, and there’s something so really heart-wrenching to me about the fact that we’re able to see this. I know that sounds melodramatic: Jackson was a public figure, he had a reputation as a pedophile, and he was a drug addict. Still, he was somebody’s father, brother and son and he was so private he covered his kids’ faces when they went out. He wouldn’t have wanted anyone to see him like that, and his kids don’t need to be confronted with that image whenever they want to do a google search on it.
I was also upset to hear that the details of Michael’s kids’ reactions to his death were made public a couple of weeks ago as part of the trial. Of course they were distraught and crying and screaming. That’s how people react when a family member dies! There was also more revealed yesterday about what Paris said in the wake of her dad’s death. We don’t need to know that!
We’re not covering the Jackson trial much here because it’s just not our usual fare. This is sad, it’s depressing and apart from some colorful witnesses there hasn’t been much to report. What do you even say about it though? None of this trial should have been open to the media and the details just don’t seem that interesting to me. Once a verdict is reached, we’ll probably cover it though. RIP Michael.
Jackson’s kids are shown at his tribute concert on 10/18/11. Credit: WENN.com
If there was any doubt that Michael Jackson’s physician, Conrad Murray, didn’t know that administering propofol was a crime, the new details revealed about what really happened at the time of the pop star’s death will remove it. According to an eye witness, Murray stopped administering CPR to Jackson to dispose of vials of the drug that was responsible for his death. Other chilling details: Jackson’s children, Prince and Paris, entered the room and saw their father dying.
According to bodyguard Alberto Alvarez (right), Dr. Murray stopped CPR and handed Alvarez drug vials and told him to put the vials in a bag.
Alvarez told investigators when he went into the room he saw an IV attached to Jackson’s leg. Also Jackson’s mouth and eyes were wide open and there was no sign of life.
According to the AP, Michael Jackson’s kids, Prince and Paris, entered the room and cried as they watched Dr. Murray administer mouth-to-mouth.
According to Alvarez, Dr. Murray took several vials and told Alvarez to put them in a plastic bag, then told Alvarez to put the plastic bag in a canvas bag. Alvarez also says Dr. Murray told him to remove the IV that contained a white milky substance (Propofol has this quality) in another canvas bag. Alvarez didn’t say where the bags went.
The report says, after Jackson was pronounced dead at UCLA Medical Center, Murray said he needed to go back to the mansion to get cream Jackson had “so the world wouldn’t find out about it.” The statement did not get more specific.
As TMZ first reported, Alvarez — who called 911 — told cops several months after Jackson’s death that Dr. Murray hid bottles of Propofol in a closet so family members and cops wouldn’t find them.
Sources connected with Dr. Murray’s defense say the doctor didn’t hide anything.
Meanwhile, Murray’s legal team is trying to cast aspersions on the L.A. prosecutors trying the involuntary manslaughter case, stating that they are deliberately withholding files. If anyone is withholding information, it’s not the prosecutors!
I’m not saying that CPR could have saved Jackson at that time. It sounds like he was already gone. But a doctor’s first priority is to try to revive the patient, even if the odds are against him. Clearly, Murray was looking to save his own ass. And just thinking about what those children saw that day is very upsetting.
Janet Jackson is echoing what many of her family members have said: Dr. Conrad Murray should be held accountable for brother Michael’s death. With the exception of Jack Kevorkian and a few whack jobs, I haven’t really heard anyone say otherwise. It’s shocking to think that a doctor acted with such reckless irresponsibility as Murray did. Janet thinks that Murray shouldn’t be practicing medicine (if nothing else).
Janet Jackson said Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson’s live-in doctor at the time of his death, is responsible for the demise of her brother, and should no longer be permitted to practice medicine.
“He was the one who was administering,” the Control singer said. “I think he should be responsible.”
Janet said of this past June 25 — the day Michael Jackson died — that she was at her New York home, when an assistant watching CNN informed her that her brother had been hospitalized. She said she then dialed a series of relatives, including mother Katherine, brother Tito, nephew Austin and sister LaToya to confirm the news. “I told them to call me back when they got to the hospital. And I remember thinking, nobody’s calling me back, so I tried calling again and that’s how I found out he was no longer… I couldn’t believe it.
“It just didn’t ring true to me,” she said. “It felt like a dream… its still difficult for me to believe. Its, you know, you have to accept what it is.” She said of Michael that “a day doesn’t go by that I don’t think about him.”
Though he has not been charged, Murray has been in the spotlight since Jackson’s June 25 death, which has been ruled a homicide by authorities. Much of the ensuing controversy has been centered around Propofol, a strong anesthetic Jackson was taking. Murray, through his attorney, has said he didn’t give the Thriller singer anything that “should have” killed him.
What ridiculousness. Murray didn’t give Michael anything that “should have” killed him? Except that it’s easy to fatally overdose on Propofol, which is why it’s illegal to administer it outside a hospital setting.
LaToya Jackson has been Murray’s most vocal adversary. And while she generally comes across as being totally nutburgers, it’s good someone is saying what everyone else is thinking. It seemed likely that Murray would face manslaughter charges in Jackson’s death, however it’s been several months since the coroner ruled Jackson’s death a homicide, and not much has happened. Hopefully that’s because they’re being exhaustive in their investigation of Murray, and not because he’s going to get off the hook. The guy should lose a lot more than his license to practice medicine – he should lose his freedom.
Here’s Janet making an appearance at The Grove to see 100 dancers practice a routine for her next music video, ‘Nasty Girl’ in Los Angeles on Saturday. Images thanks to WENN.com .
Katherine Jackson is thinking about suing Dr. Conrad Murray for the wrongful death of her son Michael Jackson. And from the sound of the information that’s being leaked about Murray, she better do it. This guy seems like one shady mofo. Nothing’s official yet, and all People’s sources will say is that the Jackson family is kinda sorta thinking about it and Murray’s name has kinda sorta been tossed around a bit.
While her husband Joseph says their son will be buried on what would have been his 51st birthday Aug. 29, Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine reportedly is mulling over filing a wrongful death suit in connection with the King of Pop’s June 25 fatal cardiac arrest, say reports.
Authorities investigating Jackson’s death have been focusing on his personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray, who is suspected of giving a powerful anesthetic to the singer on the day he died.
“The possibility of a wrongful death action has been floated,” Katherine Jackson’s lawyer Burt Levitch said, the Associated Press reports. “In that regard, no decision has been finalized … “Dr. Murray’s name has been floated [as a possible defendant in the potential lawsuit] because he is under investigation.”
Everything associated with Murray has seemed suspicious and strange from the beginning. Remember how police impounded his car before they’d even questioned him? There were rumors that they were making sure he didn’t try to run. Clearly they already had enough information on the guy to be suspicious. Now it looks like Murray spent up to FIVE hours cleaning up “the situation” at Michael Jackson’s house before he even bothered to call 911.
An uncle of the two sisters who worked at Dr. Conrad Murray’s medical practice in Houston says the day Michael Jackson died, one of the women got a call from either Dr. Murray or someone who worked for him to go and pick up boxes at Dr. Murray’s storage facility … and she got the call more than 5 hours before Dr. Murray called 911.
Joseph Middleton tells TMZ the morning of June 25, one of his nieces, LaQuisha Middleton, had just arrived at Dr. Murray’s medical practice where she worked when she received a call to go to the storage facility. Joseph does not know who called LaQuisha, but based on his conversations with her, he says the call came either from Dr. Murray or someone who works for Dr. Murray. He also says she went with another woman who was not LaQuanda Price, LaQuisha’s sister.
The manager of the storage facility tells us two women, whom she believed at the time to be Laquisha and LaQuanda, arrived at 9:22 AM (Houston time) and picked up 3-5 boxes, as well as other items. Joseph says LaQuanda told him LaQuisha picked up a chair and boxes, although when we interviewed LaQuanda in Houston, she only remembers a box — she says a box containing dirty needles that LaQuisha inexplicably brought back to the office. In the same interview, LaQuisha only admitted picking up a chair.
Joseph told us LaQuisha got the call at around 9 AM Houston time. That is 7 AM Los Angeles time, more than 5 hours before Dr. Murray called 911. As we first reported, it took multiple bottles of Propofol to keep Michael Jackson asleep through a single night. Law enforcement sources tell us they believe — though cannot prove yet — that Propofol bottles may have been stored at one or more locations under the control of Dr. Murray and FedExed to L.A.
Law enforcement has a suspicion Dr. Murray walked out of the room for a period of time after administering the Propofol, possibly fell asleep, and when he returned Jackson had stopped breathing. Cops think Dr. Murray then may have spent hours “cleaning up” the situation before calling 911.
As hard to follow as that story is, the point is clearly made: this guy was up to something, and it was big. Obviously he always knew what he was doing was wrong, and the rental of the storage unit makes that clear. He was preparing to cover his tracks from the get-go. You know what else will keep you from getting into trouble for accidentally killing Michael Jackson? Not giving him the damn Propofol in the first place! It’ll save you both storage fees and attorneys fees. Marvelous concept.
Hopefully we’ll see an indictment against Dr. Murray soon – in no way should this man be allowed to practice medicine.
Update: Here’s an incredibly cheesy YouTube video that Dr. Conrad Murray just posted. There’s a lot of thanking people (he apparently thinks he’s won an award), talking about how he can’t return messages because he’s so scared, and some more thanking people. Oh, and God. He name drops God a few times too. Thanks to PopEater for the tip.
Header of Katherine Jackson arriving at Madeo Restaurant in West Hollywood, California to have dinner with Joe and Randy Jackson on August 1st.
The sad and strange saga of Michael Jackson’s death keeps rolling on, but we’re just not paying as much attention. The poor guy is dead, he had kids who loved him, and he was tragically addicted to some of the most dangerous drugs available, drugs most hardcore addicts wouldn’t even consider taking at home. That’s because anesthesia drugs are hard to come by and carry a very high risk of death, something that Jackson thought he had under control by having a doctor with him at all times. He didn’t have a heart monitor/EKG though, and that may have cost him his life. TMZ reports that Jackson’s doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, is thought to have fallen asleep when Jackson passed. It’s thought that he was dead for a while before paramedics were called.
Yesterday the Feds and the LAPD conducted a joint raid on the Las Vegas home and offices of Jackson’s doctor, and it looks like a big effort with multiple cars and masked officials. Dr. Murray’s lawyer confirmed that the raid took place and said that a hard drive, cell phones and other items were seized:
“We can verify that at approximately 8am, Officers from DEA, LAPD and various local agencies began executing a search warrant at Dr. Conrad Murray’s Las Vegas home and office. The search warrant authorized investigators to look for medical records relating to Michael Jackson and all of his reported aliases. Dr Murray was present during the search of his home and assisted the officers. Investigators left Dr. Murray’s home around 12 noon, seizing cell phones and a computer hard drive. As of 2pm, the search at Dr. Murray’s office continues.”
The Associated Press reported over the weekend that a law enforcement source confirmed that it was Dr. Murray who gave Jackson the Propofol that most likely killed him, and other reports have Murray admitting as much to police.
There’s also a report from TMZ that cops are looking into other doctors who prescribed medication to Jackson using multiple aliases for the star. Just as in life, Michael is going out with a huge amount of fanfare and controversy. You wonder if this much effort needs to be involved, but it’s a high profile case and this doctor does need to be prosecuted for giving Jackson anesthesia drugs at home. Anyone else who enabled his addictions should face the consequences as well, and maybe this will be a lesson to doctors that money and celebrity are not an excuse for forgoing medical ethics. There will always be doctors willing to take cash in exchange for compromising people’s health, though.
Here are some photos from the raid. It all looks so cloak and dagger with the guy in the mask, but then you see the two guys putting stuff in their trunk. Photo credits can be viewed by mousing-over the pictures and there are more accessible through the thumbnails on top.
