LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson’s death has been ruled a homicide, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office announced on Friday.
Jackson’s official cause of death was determined to be acute propofol intoxication. Other drugs found in his system that contributed to his death included lorazepam, midazolam, diazepam, lidocaine and ephedrine.
The designation of homicide means that Jackson died at the hands of another, however it does not necessarily mean that a crime was committed.
The singer’s personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, who was with Jackson when he fell ill and later died on June 25, has been the primary target in what has been labeled as a manslaughter investigation in the media.
According to a search warrant unsealed on Monday 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 reported.
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.
Michael Jackson Timeline: His Final Hours
The following timeline details the series of sedatives given to Michael Jackson by Dr. Conrad Murray on the day of the singer’s death, according to an affidavit released earlier this week in Houston.
1:30 a.m. — 10 milligram tablet of Valium, a sedative.
2 a.m. — 2 milligrams of the sedative lorazepam (brand name Ativan) given intravenously.
3 a.m. — 2 milligrams of the sedative midazolam (brand name Versed) given intravenously.
5 a.m. — 2 milligrams of lorazepam given intravenously.
7:30 a.m. — 2 milligrams of midazolam given intravenously.
10:40 a.m. — 25 milligrams of propofol (brand name Diprivan) given intravenously and diluted with lidocaine (brand name Xylocaine).
10:50 a.m. — Doctor leaves Jackson’s room; returns minutes later to find Jackson not breathing. Begins CPR and gives 0.2 milligrams of flumazenil (brand name Anexate), used to reverse sedatives.
