Did Dr. Conrad Murray Cover Up Evidence?
Dr. Conrad Murray may have hidden and tried to cover up the means by which Michael Jackson died on June 25, according to law enforcement sources.
MJ received his final, fatal dose of Propofol through an IV in his leg, and Murray told cops he administered only a very small amount of Propofol: 2.5ml.
But Dr. John Dombrowski, a noted anesthesiologist who reviewed the LAPD file for detectives, tells TMZ that 2.5ml couldn’t even put Jackson to sleep.
Let alone kill the man.
The autopsy report, to that end, notes the level of Propofol found in Jackson was equivalent to what is found in “general anesthesia for major surgery.”
So what is Conrad Murray not saying?
A small, empty, 20 ml bottle of Propofol was found in the bedroom, but a secret compartment in a nearby closet contained numerous bottles of Propofol as well.
Along them? A large, empty, 100ml bottle with a large tear in the rubber stopper. A tear in the stopper is made to connect an entire bottle of Propofol to the IV.
If this is done, the doctor must use an infusion pump to regulate the flow of Propofol, or else the patient could easily OD. There was no infusion pump found.
Law enforcement sources believe Dr. Murray may have used the 100 ml bottle, then either tried regulating the flow by eyeballing it or letting it flow by itself.
Either way, that would be reckless, as Dr. Murray himself said he left to go to the bathroom at one point (see related Michael Jackson death timeline dispute).
If Dr. Murray did indeed empty the full 100 ml bottle into Jackson’s system, that would be 40 times more Propofol than the physician said he administered.
No word if the prosecution plans to argue this in Dr. Murray’s involuntary manslaughter case. The doctor has been charged, pending a preliminary hearing.
Dr. Conrad Murray Thinks D.A. is Being Shady
Michael Jackson’s embattled former doctor, who is being charged in connection with the King of Pop’s June death, feels officials are being shady with evidence.
Dr. Conrad Murray’s legal team believes the L.A. County D.A.’s Office is “suspiciously slow” in sharing documents from the involuntary manslaughter investigation.
As one Murray source puts it, “The prosecution had eight months to accumulate their evidence and we still haven’t received it. Something here just isn’t right.”
That is strange, we’ll grant the doc that.
Dr. Murray was charged earlier this month and his defense team has not ruled out a plea bargain in the case. But it’s a matter of what the case actually consists of.
But as one source connected to Murray said, because the defense team hasn’t received essential documents, “We don’t have enough to know if we’re going to deal.”
A spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office calls any suggestion of impropriety “ridiculous,” saying, “There are hundreds of documents that are being stamped and when the process is completed, they will be turned over.”
A central issue: The Michael Jackson death timeline and contradictory findings and statements thereof. It will be very interesting to watch this shake out.
Michael Jackson Death Timeline Dispute Critical to Conrad Murray Defense, Prosecution
In a new twist, Dr. Conrad Murray’s attorney, Michael Flanagan, says his client made a mistake in his initial interview in the Michael Jackson homicide investigation.
“Dr. Murray’s timeline of events the day Michael Jackson died is wrong,” he says. “Doctors make mistake. That is what he did, and it was simply that. A mistake.”
Really, Conrad Murray?
Jackson’s personal physician is changing the story he initially told police in the aftermath of MJ’s death - a significant move for the prosecution and defense.
According to police reports, Murray told the LAPD that he gave Propofol to Jackson at 10:50 a.m., then left Jackson alone for two minutes to go to the bathroom.
DOCTOR ON TRIAL: Does Conrad Murray’s explanation hold water?
Murray then went on to say that when he returned to Jackson’s room, he wasn’t breathing and he began CPR. However, a 911 call wasn’t made until after noon.
In addition, a voicemail Conrad Murray left at 11:54 a.m. that day to another patient, Bob Russell, was released yesterday. Murray was calm and collected on it.
That seems dubious if Murray had been performing CPR on Jackson for an hour before the call. To that end, Flanagan says Murray was wrong about the timing.
The timeline of events surrounding the death of Jackson will most likely be central to the criminal charges - involuntary manslaughter - against Dr. Conrad Murray.
Some reports even say that both the defense and the prosecution plan to use the newly surfaced voicemail as a centerpiece to their case, which is fascinating.
Murray’s legal team aims to discredit cops’ initial interviews with their client in a bid to convince a jury they bungled the situation, according to some sources.
But Flanagan says that he believes his client simply made a mistake when it came to the timeline that fateful day. “Dr. Murray’s timeline was wrong,” he said.
He also suggested that there was reportedly another phone call between Murray and his girlfriend in Houston, shortly after noon. He called 911 at 12:21.
But if Murray did administer Propofol to Jackson at 10:50 a.m. as he initially said, it would be natural for cops to assume he did not check on him until later.
Police say he most likely left Jackson alone for approximately 73 minutes – not two minutes as he claimed - after administering Propofol, a powerful sedative.
This would be damaging to his defense. Murray’s calm call at 11:54 a.m. fits not only his defense, but a police theory that he simply left MJ alone for awhile.
Who do you believe?
Dr. Conrad Murray: Back to Work!
Dr. Conrad Murray, who was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson, is planning on returning to everyday life while awaiting trial.
The doctor will soon be back at work, Dr. Murray’s spokesperson, Miranda Sevcik, confirmed. The Houston-based physician will be heading back there shortly.
“Dr. Murray is still in L.A. He is planning to leave to go back to work in a few days,” she said. Why anyone would see that dude as a patient, we can’t imagine.
Conrad Murray posted $75,000 bail and slipped out of court Monday, dodging an angry mob of Michael Jackson fans that greeted him outside his arraignment.
Judge Keith Schwartz placed limitations on Dr. Murray’s medical practice, explicitly telling Dr. Murray to not administer, prescribe or possess the drug Propofol.
That powerful anesthetic is believed to have caused the death of the icon in June, evidenced by LAPD investigating and the Michael Jackson autopsy report.
Judge Schwartz also told Dr. Murray he was not to heavily sedate anyone. It’s amazing he’s even allowed to practice, but he is innocent until proven guilty.
Dr. Murray’s next court appearance is April 5, at which time a judge will set a date for the preliminary hearing to determine when and if he will stand trial.
Dr. Conrad Murray Charges Not Enough, Joe and La Toya Jackson Incoherently Claim
The involuntary manslaughter charge filed against Dr. Conrad Murray in the death of Michael Jackson wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy the late icon’s father, Joe.
Following Murray’s arraignment on Monday, a disappointed Joe did what he does best - went on Larry King Live to ridiculously say that Michael was murdered.
Joe Jackson never met a microphone he didn’t like to babble nonsensically into, and somehow managed once again to make Michael’s sad death all about him.
The Jackson family patriarch said that Michael’s death was part of a larger plot and Murray got off easy. Michael’s sister La Toya issued a similar statement.
Here’s Joe Jackson on Larry King Live last night …
Attorney Brian Oxman seconded that the reckless administration of Propofol by Murray would constitute second degree murder for any victim not named MJ.
Never mind that the charge came after a six-month investigation and that there was clearly no intent by Murray, however careless he was, for Michael to die.
Yesterday, Katherine Jackson, Michael’s mother, labeled Murray a monster. That he may be, but a murderer in the eyes of the law is quite another matter.
Katherine Jackson on Conrad Murray: He’s a Monster
Not long after Dr. Conrady Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter today, those close to Michaej Jackson - whose death the physician is suspected to have been responsible for - reacted in outrage.
“He’s a monster,” said MJ’s mother, Katherine (pictured), after the arraignment.
Brian Oxman, the family’s veteran lawyer for Jackson’s father Joseph, was equally disgusted with the judge’s decision.
“This charge is a slap on the wrist,” he said. “There’s great disappointment here. [Conrad Murray] should’ve been charged with a higher degree of responsibility. What he did was reckless. It was a disregard for human life.”
Michael’s sister Latoya also chimed in, putting everything in a disturbing context:
“Michael was murdered and although he died at the hands of Dr. Conrad Murray, I believe Dr. Murray was a part of a much larger plan. There are other individuals involved and I will not rest and I will continue to fight until all of the proper individuals are brought forth and justice is served.”
Conrad Murray: Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter, Pleads Not Guilty
In a follow-up to a story we posted earlier today, Conrad Murray has been officially charged with involuntary manslaughter and has entered a plea of not guilty.
The documents were filed in court today by the Los Angeles District Attorney, who alleges Murray “did unlawfully, and without malice, kill Michael Joseph Jackson.” Those are haunting words just to read, aren’t they?
Meanwhile, the county coroner released his official findings at the hearing and there’s no doubt about it: a lethal dosage of Propofol killed the singer. Eleven vials of the drug were found in Jackson’s home, and none of had prescription directions, patient or doctor names.
According to the coroner’s report, obtained by TMZ, homicide is cited as the cause of death because…
- The setting of Jackson’s bedroom (e.g. a chair alongside the bed) indicate the drugs were not self-administered.
- Propofol was injected in a non-hospital setting, without any appropriate medical indication.
- Suggested equipment for patient monitoring, precision dosing and resuscitation were not present.
After the DA originally asked for bail to be set at $300,000, the judge set it at $75,000. He forced Murray to hand over his passport and decreed that the doctor cannot be in possession of, or prescribe, anesthetics.
If Murray is found guilty, he’ll face a maximum of four years in prison.
Even if he’s acquitted of these criminal charges, the family can sue Murray for millions, according to Bill Newkirk, a lawyer who specializes inmedical malpractice.
“This is absolutely a slam-dunk malpractice case simply because of the alleged use of propofol. If the drug was indeed in his system, no competent doctor could justify why it was used. You can bet the Jackson family will be filing a civil claim soon against any doctors implicated in Jackson’s medical care.”
Conrad Murray to Plead Not Guilty
He’s agreed to surrender, the infighting has ceased and Conrad Murray will be arraigned later today.
The doctor suspected of recklessly injecting Michael Jackson with sedatives is expected to plead not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter.
According to TMZ sources, he will arrive at the courthouse at approximately 1 p.m. PST, with the hearing scheduled for a half hour later. The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department will send along more deputies than usual, out of crowd control and safety concerns.
Bail will likely be set at $25,000.
Once this is paid and the arraignment concludes, Dr. Murray will leave the city and head to either to Las Vegas or Houston.
If any of these details change, we’ll let you know. But this is the first step in what’s likely to become a circus of a trial. THG will be there every step of the way.
** UPDATE: Murray has officially been charged. According to the criminal complaint, the D.A. alleges Dr. Murray:
“Did unlawfully, and without malice, kill Michael Joseph Jackson … in the commission of an unlawful act, not a felony; and in the commission of a lawful act which might have produced death, in an unlawful manner, and without due caution and circumspection.”
Dr. Conrad Murray Arrest Derailed By Infighting
The now-infamous doctor expected to be charged in the death of Michael Jackson, Dr. Conrad Murray, was going to be arrested, booked and arrainged today.
But, well …
There’s a feud between the L.A. County D.A.’s office and the LAPD over the terms of his surrender. These agencies are both intimately involved, and at odds.
It sounds like mostly politics, rather than any cracks in the case, but here’s the very basic gist: the LAPD is bent out of shape about being kept in the dark.
The D.A.’s office had been working with lawyers for Dr. Conrad Murray to arrange his voluntary surrender in court at the time of the arraignment today.
Infighting bought Dr. Conrad Murray at least a few hours.
Dr. Murray’s lawyers were to drive him to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Office at the Airport Courthouse in L.A. at 5:30 a.m. Friday, along with a bail bondsman.
He would be booked, post bail and then walk into court without cuffs or chains. This is often done to avoid the media circus and spectacle of a public arrest.
However, the LAPD objected, as cops want to arrest Conrad Murray, book him and bring him into court in handcuffs, something standard in homicide cases.
The D.A. reportedly backed off, and plan for Murray’s voluntary surrender fell apart. According to TMZ, there is no arraignment today now. But we’ll see.
When and if the authorities straighten this out, Murray is facing an involuntary manslaughter charge in connection the June 25 death of the King of Pop.
Dr. Conrad Murray to Surrender Imminently in Michael Jackson Case
Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson’s embattled personal physician, will likely turn himself as police prepare to file charges in connection with the King of Pop’s death.
According to TMZ, Murray is already in Los Angeles (his home base is Houston) and plans to surrender to the authorities Wednesday morning in an L.A. courtroom.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney will almost certainly charge Dr. Conrad Murray with involuntary manslaughter, and that may happen as early as this week.
Charges would have to be filed before any court appearance, so if Murray plans to surrender tomorrow morning, the D.A.’s office may charge him at that time.
Many times, defendants (or their lawyers) arrange for a surrender, rather than face the costly, embarrassing spectacle of being arrested and taken into custody.
It’s unclear if Murray will be released on bail when and if he is charged.
Dr. Conrad Murray will almost certainly enter a plea of not guilty to involuntary manslaughter (or whatever charge he faces) and begin preparing his defense.
We say this because he has already retained a new attorney, J. Michael Flanagan, who successfully defended a doctor client for fatally administering Propofol.
Murray’s use of the anesthetic to treat Jackson will form the crux of the D.A.’s case that he be held criminally liable for the death of the music icon June 25.
The Michael Jackson investigation has taken half a year to complete, and officials are determined not to blow it. It should be very interesting to watch unfold.
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