Jackson's doctor negotiating surrender to police

The attorney for Michael Jackson’s doctor said he is negotiating his client’s surrender to Los Angeles County authorities.

A statement from attorney Ed Chernoff said he is holding talks with the district attorney’s office for the surrender of Dr Conrad Murray.

Law enforcement officials have told the Associated Press that prosecutors plan to charge Murray with involuntary manslaughter for giving Jackson a powerful anaesthetic that led to his overdose death in June.

Murray has not been charged yet, but another official said Murray is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the case’s sensitivity.

Murray maintains that nothing he gave Jackson should have killed him.

“When the agreement is complete we will report further,” Chernoff said.

Miranda Sevcik, a spokeswoman for Murray and Chernoff, declined further comment.

Murray is set to be arraigned on Friday at a Los Angeles courthouse, a person familiar with the planning told the Associated Press. The person declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation.

The possible charge was not disclosed. However, two law enforcement officials have told the AP that prosecutors plan to charge Murray with involuntary manslaughter, alleging he gave Jackson a powerful anaesthetic that led to his June 25 overdose death at a rented mansion on the west side of Los Angeles.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to publicly discuss the case.

Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney, would not confirm nor deny that Murray would appear on Friday afternoon at the courthouse.

Murray, who has a practice in Houston, came to Los Angeles last weekend and has been strategising with his team of defence attorneys.

Police have been investigating Murray since Jackson’s death aged 50. The doctor told detectives he would given the singer a powerful anaesthetic and other sedatives to get the chronic insomniac star to sleep.

Jackson died soon after and investigators have been gathering evidence to try to show Murray was negligent in administering the drugs.

Murray maintains that nothing he gave Jackson should have killed him.

On Wednesday, a judge in Las Vegas found Murray in default on a nearly 132,000 debt related to office medical equipment and services.

Murray had no lawyer in the case. He has long-standing personal and professional debts, and faced near repossession last summer on his Las Vegas country club home.