L.A. County Coroner Rules Michael Jackson’s Death A Homicide
Posted August 24, 2009 5:57 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
According to a Los Angeles law enforcement official, the L.A. County coroner has ruled Michael Jackson’s death a homicide, a finding which increases the likelihood of criminal charges being filed against the doctor who was with the pop star at the time of his death.
The official said the coroner determined a fatal combination of drugs was given to Jackson hours before he died in his rented L.A. mansion on the evening of June 25.
It’s further alleged that forensic tests found the powerful anesthetic propofol in Jackson’s system along with two sedatives.
Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson’s personal physician, is the target of a manslaughter probe headed by Los Angeles police.
Dr. Murray, a Las Vegas cardiologist, became Jackson’s personal physician weeks before his death.
According to a search warrant affidavit unsealed Monday in Houston, Murray told investigators he administered a 25 milligram dose of propofol around 10:40am after spending the night injecting Jackson with two sedatives in an unsuccessful attempt to get him to sleep.
The warrant states lethal levels of propofol were found in Jackson’s system, as were other substances not believed to have been a factor in the singer’s death.
Murray’s lawyer, Edward Chernoff, had previously stated his client never administered anything that “should have” killed Jackson.
With files from The Associated Press
