Jackson died hours after receiving drugs

THE Los Angeles County coroner has ruled Michael Jackson’s death a homicide, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press, a finding that makes it more likely criminal charges will be filed against the doctor who was with the pop star when he died.

The coroner determined a fatal combination of drugs was given to Jackson hours before he died June 25 in his rented Los Angeles mansion, according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the findings have not been publicly released.

Forensic tests found the powerful anaesthetic, propofol, acted together with at least two sedatives to cause Jackson’s death, the official said.

Dr Conrad Murray, a Las Vegas cardiologist who became Jackson’s personal physician weeks before his death, is the target of a manslaughter investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.

According to a search warrant affidavit unsealed yesterday in Houston, Murray told investigators he administered a 25mg dose of propofol at around 10:40am after spending the night injecting Jackson with two sedatives in an unsuccessful attempt to get him to sleep.

The warrant, dated July 23, states that lethal levels of propofol were found in Jackson’s system. Besides the propofol and two sedatives, the coroner’s toxicology report found other substances in Jackson’s system, but they were not believed to have been a factor in the singer’s death, the official said.

Murray has spoken to police and last week released a video saying he “told the truth and I have faith the truth will prevail”. His attorney, Edward Chernoff, had no immediate comment but has previously said Murray never administered anything that “should have” killed Jackson.

A call to the coroner’s office was not returned yesterday.

Murray did not say anything about the drugs he gave to Jackson.

The court document made public yesterday reveals that Dr Murray told police that he had administered several drugs to Jackson to help him sleep, including propofol, the Los Angeles Times reported.

However, he feared the singer was becoming addicted to the drug and halved his dosage from 50mg a night to 25mg. He administered the medication via an intravenous line, according to the newspaper.

Dr Murray reportedly told officers that on the day of Jackson’s death he tried to induce sleep without the use of propofol, but after giving the singer a cocktail of other drugs, he turned to propofol following persistent requests from Jackson himself.

Jackson suffered cardiac arrest and died on June 25 at age 50. Since then, police have probed his death in an investigation that appears focused on the use of prescription drugs and the role of doctors who treated him, including his personal doctor, Conrad Murray.

On the morning of the singer’s death, Murray is alleged to have administered the drugs to Jackson, but on returning found he was not breathing. Murray performed CPR on Jackson until paramedics arrived, but he was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.