Criminal attorney added to legal team for Michael Jackson's former physician

Michael Jackson’s former personal physician has hired a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney to help his legal team combat a potential manslaughter prosecution in the pop icon’s fatal overdose last summer.

Dr. Conrad Murray hired Glendale attorney J. Michael Flanagan on Tuesday, the physician’s lead lawyer, Ed Chernoff, confirmed.

The lawyer previously won a manslaughter acquittal for a nurse tried in what is believed to be the only other L.A. criminal case involving propofol, the powerful sedative blamed in Jackson’s death.

Sources have told The Times for several months that Murray is expected to face involuntary manslaughter charges. The Associated Press, citing an unnamed source, reported today that prosecutors will seek an indictment against Murray for involuntary manslaughter.

Law enforcement officials have identified Murray as the target of a manslaughter investigation in search warrants filed in court in the months after Jackson’s death, but a spokeswoman for the district attorney said today that no decision had been made in Murray’s case. 

“We have not been formally presented with the case by the LAPD yet.... We do not have a pending case,” spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said. Murray’s lawyers said that if prosecutors had convened a grand jury, they had not notified them or invited the doctor to testify. Flanagan, Murray’s new attorney, said the discussion of an involuntary manslaughter charge was not surprising.

“That is the only thing they could charge him with, but it doesn’t mean that a grand jury would indict him,” said Flanagan. In 2004, the district attorney’s office prosecuted two Burbank nurses for involuntary manslaughter for administering the anesthetic to a cancer patient without authorization of an anesthesiologist.

The patient died. One nurse pleaded no contest to a lesser charge. The other, represented by Flanagan, was acquitted.

-- Harriet Ryan

Comments

[effen_what]

he should definitely stand trial for murder and lose his license.

[dumbfounded]

Nobodys responsibaly for drug adicts death even though paid over Hundred Thousand month to regulate addiction. James Brown died too. Are are masters of own destiny You play you pay! Guilty or innocent youb pay your life.

[Dr. Death]

Dr. Death, Madhouse. I don't think Murray was the main contributor to Michael Jackson death I think more investigation is required.

[kerry]

The shear fact that this doctor could possibly walk away scott free resonates about the injustice of the American legal system. Where else in the world could a doctor who was clearly not capable to administer an anesthetic outside of a hospital environment (and how about licensed to do so?) and with no appropriate recesitation equipment, possibly get off or land 1 year in jail for killing the most famous entertainer in the world? How about the total negligence of letting MJ lay half dead while he was on the phone for 50 minutes after he finally put MJ to sleep? Put a drunk behind the wheel who kills someone and they would serve at the minimum a couple of years in prision. Kill the King of Pop and you may get 1-4 years if we are lucky.

Where is the restitution for this enormous tragedy? This so-called doctor took from us a human being with the greatest gift this world has ever seen the likes of. What about the three young children who will now live without a father? Why is Conrad being allowed to practice medicine as we speak? I will NEVER, EVER understand the corrupt American legal system who has always protected the guilty when it really comes down to it.

[BAforMJ]

He most definitely deserves to stand trial. I'm sorry but this whole thing called involuntary is crap. How can someone justify that a doctor with Murray's supposed credentials, knowledge, and honors in medical school not realize that Propofol was a drug that could kill a man? Plus, this man is a Cardiologist. Don't you think a Cardiologist should recognize that he is incapable of administering an anesthetic that only anesthesiologist are trained to use???? And to add to this, how could someone say that this is involuntary when this this incredibly well educated and knowledgeable Cardiologist is OK with administering an Anesthetic Drug that only Anesthesiologist are trained to use, in an emergency or surgical room environment, in a home??? Did he involuntarily forget to research this drug before administering it???

So really, how could anyone justify that these actions were involuntary. This man, because of the very principal of what he decided to do is evident that he risked injury and possible death to his patient, knowingly.

In this situation, there may not be intent but there definitely is not anything here called involuntary.

This man, if he administered this medication to Michael Jackson of which he says he had, needs to serve time, financially compensate MJ's family for everything, and loose his license to practice medicine so that way he could no longer hurt anyone else nor anyone else's family.

I may sound hard but yes we do forgive but there is no way that this situation should be disregarded and this man just get a slap on the wrist while three children no longer have their father, a mother and father is without a son, siblings are without a brother, friends are without their friend, and the world is without the greatest entertainer and artist that ever lived.

There just needs to be justice and labeling this for less than what it really is, is not the way to do achieve the justice needed.

So please, please. Someone, please, tell me that this is not going to be just one more victim (yes I said victim -I don't care what MJ did or didn't do. If he was an addict or not. A doctor has a responsibility to protect their patience and MJ was Murray's patient) let down by the law. Please tell me that this is not going to be the outcome of this.

[Darlene ONeil]

Well it is about time that they have done the right thing. He was the one administering the drug. So he should go on trial and lose his license. I don't care what lawyer he has and that a nurse got off they were not Micheal Jackson's doctor and getting paid 150,000 a month to take care of MJ. I really think all Dr. Murray wanted was the money he did not care about the patient he was taking care of. You know what bothers me the most is he is a cardlogist how come he did not know how to do CPR and why did he leave him alone without a O2 monitor or heart monitor, he must be able to get those kind of medical pieces. He also knew that he was not to be alone even with the monitors then why leave the room at all. Any way you look at it he is at fault and he also knows what to do he took a oath. It just makes me so mad because of the person that he did this to more than likely had a drug problem but he was not helping by not monitoring him just to be safe. I guess the money was more important because of everything he owed. I am not sorry what I have said I think if he would have been doing his job right Micheal jackson would be still alive and then maybe someone from his life could have helped him with the drug problems.

[dan]

I ABSOLUTELY AGREE WITH BAforMJ and Darlene ONeil. I also wonder: How come that a cardiologist, and not an anesthesiologist, has administered propofol? And on top of this, how come that this type of drug, which can only be administered in a surgery room , has been administered by Murray at home? How come that a CARDIOLOGIST did not know all this? How can anyone say that Murray did all this and killed Michael Jackson “INVOLUNTARILY”? And besides: why Murray waited so long before calling 911? And why Michael’s family was not summoned immediately? And why Michael’s residence was not sealed as a crime scene? And why the cameras, whose videos could have provided visual evidence of what really happened the day Michael died, were all removed from the residence? TOO MANY “CARELESS” MISTAKES TO BE CONSIDERED SHEER COINCIDENCE! On the contrary, all these facts lead one to think that not only Michael Jackson was killed ON PURPOSE but also, that there is a will to hide or just ignore all the evidences related to his murder. But the millions of Michael’s fans throughout the world will not allow this to happen. For when Michael was alive, he was our voice and now, WE ARE MICHAEL’S VOICE, and WE WILL NOT REST UNTIL JUSTICE FOR MICHAEL BE DONE.

[T.G]

I have heard from other sources that this isn't true. That the investigation hasn't reached the DA's office yet. Notice the word "potential" in the story. That tells me that this may or may not be true. I hope he receives a longer sentence of more than four years. To me, this is sad. Someone looses his life and yet the doctor will possibly get four years in prison and will go about his life afterwards. But the way I look at it, Murray will always be in prison. He will never be able to go anywhere again without fans being angry at him. I wouldn't want that for myself. To me, Murray would have been better off financially if Michael was alive. I heard he was in debt. You would think that a doctor who is getting paid $150,000 a month would give top notch care to their patient. Even if Michael asked or even pressured him for propofol, he should have refused it to him or walked away. That wasn't helping Michael at all. He must have known that there are risks with endgangering Michael Jackson's life! You don't wean someone off of propofol. Now I feel myself wondering "What if?" By that I mean, "What if Michael had been alive? How successful would his tour would have been?" or "What would Michael's future what have been like?" I know his tour would have been a success but I, like anyone else, would have loved to have seen it. I hope justice will prevail for Michael in a fast hurry! I miss him! At least he is at peace now and is not suffering anymore!

[Norman Silver]

I hope the state pulls Murray's license to practice as a physician in this state. He is a "For Sale" type who is in demand by chemically dependant persons who can afford his services.