It's Official: Michael Jackson Death Was Homicide
A coroner's car enters the residence of Michael Jackson following the death of the pop icon on June 25, 2009 in Los Angeles. Gerhard Burkhart/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
A coroner's car enters the residence of Michael Jackson following the death of the pop icon on June 25, 2009 in Los Angeles.
Gerhard Burkhart/AFP/Getty ImagesUpdate 3:28 pm: Los Angeles Police say they will refer the Michael Jackson case to prosecutors for possible criminal charges.
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Even though the Los Angeles Coroner's conclusion that pop star Michael Jackson's death was a homicide was leaked last week and every media outlet on earth breathlessly reported it, media outlets are today breathlessly reporting that it's official.
An excerpt from a Reuters story:
In a statement, the coroner said propofol, a powerful anesthetic, and the sedative Lorazepam were the primary drugs responsible for Jackson's death. Other drugs detected in his system were Midazolam, Diazepam, Lidocaine and Ephedrine.
The drugs found in Jackson's body are consistent, more or less with what Dr. Conrad Murray, the entertainer's personal physician, told law-enforcement officials he administered to Jackson in the hours before his death.
An excerpt from the Los Angeles Times on Aug. 25:
On the morning Jackson died, Murray tried to induce sleep without using propofol, according to the affidavit. He said he gave Jackson valium at 1:30 a.m. When that didn't work, he said, he injected lorazepam intravenously at 2 a.m. At 3 a.m., when Jackson was still awake, Murray administered midazolam.
Over the next few hours, Murray said he gave Jackson various drugs. Then at 10:40 a.m., Murray administered 25 milligrams of propofol after Jackson repeatedly demanded the drug, according to the court records...
... Other drugs that were confiscated in the search included valium, tamsulosin, lorazepam, temazepam, clonazepam, trazodone and tizanidine. They also found propofol in Murray's medical bag. Murray told detectives that he was not the first doctor to administer the powerful anesthetic to Jackson.
The official coroner's finding of homicide doesn't necessarily mean Murray will be charged with murder. It means the coroner determined that a human act by someone other than Jackson caused his death. Legal experts have said that the likeliest charge against Murray would be manslaughter if indeed Murray is charged.