LOS ANGELES — Nearly two months after he was found unconscious at his rental home and later died, Michael Jackson’s death has been ruled a homicide, the Associated Press reports.
A law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity told AP that forensic tests found the powerful anesthetic propofol in Jackson’s system, along with two sedatives. The findings could signal that criminal charges will soon be filed against the singer’s personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, who was with Jackson when he fell ill and has been the primary target in what has been labeled as a manslaughter investigation.
According to a search warrant unsealed today in Houston, Murray told LAPD detectives that he had been treating Jackson for insomnia for about six weeks by giving him 50 milligrams of propofol each night using an IV, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Murray told detectives that he worried about the singer becoming addicted to the dangerous drug. He responded by lowering the dosage of propofol to 25 milligrams and mixing in two other sedatives, lorazepam and midazolam.
On the day Jackson died, Murray attempted to aid the entertainer’s sleep without propofol. He gave him a valium at 1:30 a.m., but when that didn’t work, he injected lorazepam at 2 a.m. and then midazolam at 3 a.m.
Murray said he continued to administer various drugs over the next few hours as his attempts to aid Jackson’s sleep continued to fail. Finally, at 10:40 a.m., he administered 25 milligrams of propofol after Jackson repeatedly demanded the drug, court records said.
Murray has previously admitted to obtaining and administering propofol to Jackson on the morning that he died. In an interview with police, the physician said he left Jackson alone under the influence of the medication to make telephone calls to his Houston office and family members. Upon his return, Murray discovered Jackson unconscious and began performing CPR while a staff member dialed 911.
The 50-year-old King of Pop was soon rushed to UCLA Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.
