Lethal levels of powerful anaesthetic propofol killed pop star Michael Jackson, according to the preliminary findings of coroner which were unsealed in a court in Houston.
|Last Updated: Aug 25, 2009, 02:02 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Los Angeles: Lethal levels of powerful anaesthetic propofol killed pop star Michael Jackson, according to the preliminary findings of coroner which were unsealed in a court in Houston.The released documents, including search warrants and affidavits filed by the police in July to search the Houston
office and storage unit of Dr Conrad Murray, Jackson`s personal physician, reveal that Murray accepted administering propofol to the pop star to treat his insomnia.
The documents also reveal that Jackson was consuming a "deadly cocktail" of various drugs before his death, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Murray told detectives that he had been giving Jackson 50 milligrams of propofol every night for six weeks but tried to wean Jackson off the drugs by lowering the dosage to 25 milligrams after he realised that the pop star was addicted
to it.
Murray said he was not the first doctor to administer the dangerous sedative to the 50-year-old `King of Pop` as he
was already addicted to it.
Murray also claims in the documents that Jackson was also consuming prescriptions given by other doctors and when asked about it the pop star declined to provide the information.In his bid to counter Jackson`s dependency on propofol, Murray said he mixed it with two other sedatives, lorazepam and midazolam. On June 23, two days before Jackson`s death, Murray administered those two medications and withheld the propofol.
On the morning Jackson died, Murray tried to induce sleep without using propofol, according to the affidavit.
He said he gave Jackson valium at 1:30 am. When that didn`t work, he said, he injected lorazepam intravenously at 2
am. At 3 am, when Jackson was still awake, Murray administered midazolam.
Over the next few hours, Murray said he gave Jackson various drugs. Then at 10.40 am, Murray administered 25 milligrams of propofol after Jackson repeatedly demanded the drug, according to the court records.
Murray told authorities he left Jackson`s bedside for no more than two minutes before returning to find the pop star not breathing. When he returned at 11 am he saw that Jackson
wasn`t breathing. He immediately began attempting to revive
Jackson, administering CPR as well as a drug to reverse the effects of the sedative.
But police are questioning that account. Cellphone records for the morning of June 25 show Murray made three separate phone calls for approximately 47 minutes beginning at 11.18 am. Murray said he called Jackson`s personal assistant to request that they send security upstairs. After a few minutes without a response, Murray told authorities he ran downstairs to the kitchen. He asked the chef to send Jackson`s eldest son, Prince Jackson, upstairs.
Dr Murray waited about 82 minutes before anyone called paramedics to the home, according to the court documents.
He said he continued CPR and waited for the arrival of paramedics.
Much of the investigation has focused on propofol and whether Murray`s decision to give it to Jackson as a sleep aid outside a hospital setting reaches a level of negligence required for an involuntary manslaughter charge.
The new development confirms what has long been suspected in Jackson`s death eight weeks ago but has raised further questions about the treatment of the pop star during his last days as he struggled to prepare himself for his extensive comeback shows.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.