LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson’s personal doctor is the target of a manslaughter investigation into the singer’s death. A search warrant filed in a Houston court Thursday allowed authorities to seek evidence of whether Dr. Conrad Murray committed manslaughter.
LOS ANGELES — The personal physician who tried to revive a dying Michael Jackson has been named as the target of a manslaughter probe into the singer’s death.
A search warrant filed Thursday allowed authorities to seek “property or items constituting evidence of the offense of manslaughter that tend to show that Dr. Conrad Murray committed the said criminal offense.”
The warrant was filed a day after agents seized items from the physician’s Houston clinic and a rented storage unit.
Murray, 51, was with Jackson as he died and has been a key figure in the monthlong investigation since the beginning. The search of his clinic indicated authorities were focusing on him, but the warrant language made it clear he’s the target.
The court documents detailed items seized by federal drug agents and Los Angeles police. Among them were 27 tablets of the weight loss drug phentermine, a tablet of the muscle relaxant clonazepam, two computer hard drives, e-mails and a controlled substance registration.
Murray’s lawyer, Edward Chernoff, confirmed a search warrant had been executed and that none of the items seized had previously been requested by authorities, but did not comment further.
Murray was hired as Jackson’s personal physician just weeks before he died. He was in Jackson’s rented Los Angeles mansion when the pop star was found unconscious the morning of June 25 and tried unsuccessfully to revive him.
Murray, a cardiologist, is licensed to practice in California, Texas and Nevada. Records show he has had no disciplinary actions taken against him, though one item seized by investigators is a suspension notice from a Houston hospital. No details are provided.
The Los Angeles County coroner’s office was not expected to make an official determination of what killed Jackson until at least next week, and investigators this week were reviewing medical records taken from the offices of other doctors in the probe.
Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said Thursday he had sought information from “seven or eight” doctors and Murray is the only one he has yet to talk to.
Winter said Chernoff had offered to speak with the coroner Friday but without Murray present.
“We don’t want to talk to the attorney, we want to talk to” Murray, Winter said.
Chernoff issued a brief statement in response, saying Winter had not made any requests to interview his client.
The powerful anesthetic propofol has emerged an important part of the investigation. Doses of it were found in Jackson’s mansion, according to a person with knowledge of the investigation who is not authorized to speak publicly. The drug was not among the items seized under the search warrant.
Associated Press reporter Justin Pritchard contributed to this story.
Related News
Joe Jackson says 'someone should pay' for son Michael Jackson's deathAugust 31st, 2009 Joe Jackson: 'Someone should pay' for son's deathNEW YORK — Michael Jackson's father says he'd never heard of the drug propofol until it was implicated in his son's death. "I'm not angry.
Warrant: Michael Jackson's family members told cops about drugs in singer's bedroomAugust 28th, 2009 Warrant: Jackson family told cops about drugsLOS ANGELES — A search warrant served at Michael Jackson's house the day after he died says family members told investigators they'd found heroin in the singer's room. But tests later showed the substance wasn't heroin, a person with knowledge of the results told The Associated Press.
Coroner rules Michael Jackson death a homicide, sedatives primary causeAugust 28th, 2009 Coroner rules Michael Jackson death a homicideLOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County coroner says Michael Jackson's death was a homicide primarily caused by two drugs. In a statement released Friday, the coroner said the cause of death was acute intoxication from the anesthetic propofol.
MJ pleaded for drugs from his doctor, shows affidavitAugust 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Even though late King of Pop Michael Jackson's death has been ruled as a homicide by the L.A. County coroner, an affidavit has revealed new details about actions of the singer's doctor.
Search warrant shows Michael Jackson had lethal levels of propofol in his system when he diedAugust 24th, 2009 Search warrant: Jackson anesthetic levels 'lethal'HOUSTON — A search warrant affidavit says Michael Jackson had lethal levels of the powerful anesthetic propofol in his system when he died. The document unsealed Monday allowed officials to raid the Houston offices and storage facility of Dr.
Federal drug agents raid Beverly Hills pharmacy in Michael Jackson death investigationAugust 21st, 2009 DEA raids Beverly Hills pharmacy in Jackson probeBEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Federal drug agents raided a Beverly Hills pharmacy Friday as part of the ongoing investigation into Michael Jackson's death.
Anaesthetic believed to have killed MJ came from LA drug storeAugust 15th, 2009 LONDON - An anaesthetic believed to have killed King of Pop Michael Jackson reportedly came from a pharmacy in Las Vegas, which was raided this week. The 'Thriller' hitmaker's personal physician, Dr.
Authorities searching a Las Vegas pharmacy as part of Michael Jackson investigationAugust 11th, 2009 Agents search Vegas pharmacy in Jackson probeLAS VEGAS — Police and federal drug agents searched a pharmacy Tuesday as part of the investigation into Michael Jackson's death. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and Los Angeles and Las Vegas police served a sealed search warrant and a notice of inspection around 9:20 a.m.
JACKSON INVESTIGATORS RAID VEGAS PHARMACYAugust 11th, 2009 Authorities investigating the death of MICHAEL JACKSON have raided a pharmacy in Las Vegas in search of documents relating to drug prescriptions written by the King of Pop's personal physician DR. CONRAD MURRAY.
Police raid home of Michael Jackson's doctorJuly 28th, 2009 LOS ANGELES - Police raided the home of Michael Jackson's personal doctor Tuesday, tightening their focus on the physician who reportedly gave the late superstar sedatives that may have killed him. The raid of the Las Vegas home of Conrad Murray came a day after sources in the investigation told US news media that investigators believe Murray gave Jackson a dose of the hospital anesthetic propofol hours before Jackson died of cardiac arrest.
Federal agents search Las Vegas home of Michael Jackson's doctor in manslaughter probeJuly 28th, 2009 Federal agents search home of Jackson's doctorLAS VEGAS — Federal authorities are searching the Las Vegas home of Michael Jackson's personal doctor. Officials with the Drug Enforcement Administration were at Dr.
Cops probing MJ's death hunting for his doctor's assistantJuly 27th, 2009 LONDON - Cops probing late Michael Jackson's mysterious death have stepped up the hunt for Dr. Conard Murray's assistant.
MJ's death probe: Cops seek 'kill' cluesJuly 25th, 2009 LONDON - Officials investigating the death of Michael Jackson were on the lookout for evidence that the star was murdered by his personal doctor when they searched the medic's clinic. Officials were given a search warrant, indicating that Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, was the target of a manslaughter probe into the singer's death.
Cops raid office of Michael Jackson's doctorJuly 23rd, 2009 LOS ANGELES - Police and federal agents Wednesday raided the Houston offices of Michael Jackson's personal doctor Conrad Murray, in a search for medical records they believed would constitute evidence of manslaughter, the doctor's lawyer said. Murray was the personal physician who was with Michael Jackson when the entertainer died suddenly of cardiac arrest last month at age of 50.
Manslaughter emerges as possible charge in death of Michael JacksonJuly 23rd, 2009 In Jackson case, what constitutes manslaughter?LOS ANGELES — If Michael Jackson's death turns into a manslaughter case, prosecutors would have to show that his doctor acted in a negligent or reckless fashion in causing the pop star's death. The possibility of such a charge emerged Wednesday after authorities served a search warrant at the Houston offices of Dr.
August 23rd, 2009 at 12:47 am
what kind of anisthetic killed michael jackson? i thought he had a heart attack? could the doctor of caused him to have a heart attack i thought that was a natural cause of death?