Michael Jackson’s Death Ruled a Homicide by Coroner

The Associated Press has learned from an unnamed law enforcement official that the Los Angeles County coroner has ruled Michael Jackson’s death a homicide. The news is certain to greatly compound the troubles facing Dr. Conrad Murray, the doctor who had been acting as Jackson’s personal physician in the weeks before his death. It is now likely that criminal charges will be filed against Murray, a cardiologist who allegedly gave Jackson the prescription drugs that apparently led to the singer’s death. Forensic testing indicated that the anesthetic propofol, in concert with two sedatives, caused Jackson’s death on June 25.

The official who spoke with the press requested anonymity because the official findings have not been released. Assuming that charges are filed, Murray would face a manslaughter charge and documents an affidavit that was unsealed yesterday indicated that Murray admitted that he had been treating Jackson for insomnia for roughly six weeks. Murray also noted that the treatment involved a 50 milligram drip of propofol each night, administered intravenously.

Eventually, according to the documents and Murray’s claims, the doctor moved Jackson off of propofol, instead giving him Valium followed by a series of sedatives. When that combination didn’t work, Murray noted that Jackson asked again for the propofol, which he referred to as "his milk." Dr. David Zvara, the anesthesia chairman at the University of North Carolina, noted, "There’s no surprise there. All those drugs act in synergy with each other." Zvara went on to say that adding propofol to the other drugs is what "tipped the balance."