Michael Jackson’s Doctor Formally Charged
Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson’s personal physician who administered propofol, a powerful anesthetic normally reserved for major surgery, was formally charged for involuntary manslaughter on February 8. Murray pled not guilty to the charges.
Michael Jackson died in June, meaning that prosecutors required 8 months to build charges against Murray. This can be taken one of two ways. On one hand, they could’ve been involved in a very detailed investigation that left no stone unturned. On the other hand, it could mean that the prosecution has very little hard evidence to use against Murray. We’ll have to wait for the hearing to find out which is the case.
What is known, however, are the circumstances of Jackson’s death and the Murray was unmistakably connected to it. Murray admitted that he had administered the propofol shortly before Michael lost consciousness. The coroner also determined that Jackson’s death was caused by acute propofol intoxication and stated that the standards surrounding the use of propofol were clearly not met. However, Michael was also filled with other medications at the time of his death, increasing the risk of death when combined with the propofol. Murray’s defense will most likely revolve around this fact very heavily.
After receiving his charges in court, Murray was issued a $75,000 bail, which he met, and was told that his ability to administer any kind of sedatives was revoked. His passport was also taken, due to the fact that he has family living outside of the United States and was deemed a potential flight risk. The California state medical board will also seek to revoke his medical license, as well.
At this point, it seems that no matter what the outcome of the case is, Dr. Murray will no longer be practicing medicine. If he is indeed found guilty of willfully engaging in neglectful behavior that led to Michael Jackson’s death, he’ll have much more to worry about that simply giving up his stethoscope and white jacket.
To read the original article, please go to http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/us/09jackson.html