Coroner: Michael Jackson given amount of anesthetic used in 'major surgery' [Updated]

In the last hours of his life, Michael Jackson was given a powerful anesthetic at a level equivalent to what would be used in a “major surgery” and in a manner that did not live up to medical standards, according to the autopsy report on the pop icon released Monday by the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

“The standard of care for administering propofol was not met,” coroners’ examiners wrote in the report. “Recommended equipment for patient monitoring, precision dosing, and resuscitation was not present.”

The report said Jackson died of “acute propofol intoxication” administered by another. Coroner’s officials described a scene around Jackson's bedside that showed a host of problems in using propofol at such a high level.

Michael Jackson's doctor faces four years in prison if convicted on involuntary manslaughter charge; pop star's family arrives in court [Updated]

Prosecutors on Monday charged Michael Jackson’s personal physician with involuntary manslaughter in connection with administering a combination of surgical anesthetic and sedatives blamed in the music legend’s death last summer.

The complaint filed by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office alleges that Dr. Conrad Murray “did unlawfully and without malice kill Michael Joseph Jackson, a human being, in the commission of an unlawful act not amounting to a felony; and in the commission of a lawful act which might have produced death, in an unlawful manner, and without due caution and circumspection.”

[Updated at 2:10 p.m.: Murray arrived in court and pleaded not guilty. Bail was set at $75,000.]

Jackson’s parents, Kathryn and Joe, as well as some of his brothers arrived at the courthouse shortly after the charge was filed.

In a news release, the district attorney’s office said Deputy Dist. Atty. David Walgren, a prosecutor in the major crimes division, would try the case. Walgren is also handling the attempt to extradite movie director Roman Polanski to face sentencing in a three-decade-old child-sex case.

The release credited the LAPD and the county coroner’s office for building the case against Murray. "Both agencies worked diligently and exhaustively to collect the evidence leading to the filing of the case,” the statement said.

[Updated at 1 p.m.: Murray walked into the courthouse at 12:55 p.m. to shouts of “murderer” from a handful of Jackson fans whose presence was dwarfed by an international contingent of media who began camping out at the courthouse last week. He is scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m.]

Michael Jackson family members wanted harsher charges against his doctor, attorney says

Members of Michael Jackson's family entered the courthouse near Los Angeles International Airport on Monday to attend the court hearing for the pop star's doctor, Conrad Murray, who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with Jackson's death.

Parents Joe and Kathryn Jackson as well as brother Jermaine were seen entering the courthouse.

Brian Oxman, Joe Jackson’s attorney, said some family members were disappointed that the physician was charged only with involuntary manslaughter.

He said he had spoken Monday to the singer’s father and his sister, LaToya, and that they both feel more serious charges should have been filed. “There was danger to human life,” Oxman said. “I knew it; everyone else who knew about the prescription medication knew it. To say the perpetrator didn’t know it I find to be unacceptable.”

“They thought the charges should be more serious than involuntary manslaughter,” he said of Joe and LaToya Jackson. “There was disregard for the safety of human life.”

-- Victoria Kim and Richard Winton at the Airport Courthouse

Michael Jackson's doctor charged with involuntary manslaughter in pop star's death

Prosecutors on Monday charged Michael Jackson’s personal physician with involuntary manslaughter in connection with administering a combination of surgical anesthetic and sedatives blamed in the music legend’s death last summer.

The complaint filed in Superior Court accused Dr. Conrad Murray, a cardiologist caring for the 50-year-old pop icon during an ambitious comeback attempt, of causing Jackson's June 25 death by acting “without due caution and circumspection.” 

The criminal case comes after a seven-month investigation that stretched from the master bedroom of Jackson’s Holmby Hills mansion to the heart clinic Murray ran in a poor neighborhood of Houston. The focus, however, rarely left Murray.

Within weeks of Jackson’s death, detectives described the doctor as a manslaughter suspect in court papers that said he admitted leaving the singer alone and under the influence of propofol – a powerful anesthetic used to render surgical patients unconscious – in a bedroom of the sprawling home. 

Michael Jackson's doctor struggled with financial woes, support for six children

Conrad Murray, who may be charged today in the death of Michael Jackson, first met the pop star four years ago when he treated the singer in Las Vegas.

When Jackson later asked Murray, 56, to become his personal doctor, it was a lifeline for a man struggling financially, according to an investigation by The Times' Harriet Ryan.

Courts in Las Vegas, where he lived with his physician wife, 19-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter, had ordered him or his business to pay $435,000 to creditors, including a student loan.

His home near the 18th hole of a country club was in jeopardy. Property records showed he had refinanced the mortgage at least three times in five years and owed close to $1.7 million on a property now assessed at $1.08 million. By the time the Jackson job came along, it had been months since Murray had paid the mortgage, and foreclosure proceedings loomed, according to court records.

Michael Jackson's doctor Conrad Murray expected to be charged this morning

After days of delays, L.A. prosecutors are expected to file a criminal case against Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, in connection with the pop star's death.

Charges would cap an eight-month police investigation into the circumstances of Jackson's death,

There was intense speculation that Murray would be charged Friday -- and for a while, his attorneys said he'd show up to court even if he were not charged.

Charges in Michael Jackson death will be filed Monday, prosecutors say

After days of speculation and confusion, L.A. County prosecutors said Friday they will charge Michael Jackson's personal doctor in connection with the pop star's death on Monday.

The announcement came after reports throughout the week that prosecutors would file involuntary manslaughter charges against Dr. Conrad Murray sometime this week.

"Nothing will be filed today in the Michael Jackson death case. A case will be filed on Monday, Feb. 8, at the Airport Court, 11701 S. La Cienega Blvd. Information on charges and the scheduled arraignment at the Airport Court will be released after the case is filed," the district attorney's office said in a statement.

Negotiations between prosecutors and attorneys for Murray to secure his surrender broke down late Thursday.

-- Harriet Ryan and Jack Leonard

Charges in Michael Jackson case remain in doubt amid squabbles [Updated]

Will Michael Jackson's doctor be charged today in the pop singer's death?

That remains an open question this morning after negotiations between prosecutors and attorneys for Dr. Conrad Murray to secure his surrender on involuntary manslaughter charges broke down.

The Los Angeles County district attorney's office declined to say whether Murray will be charged today. And there are now reports from Murray's camp that he will show up for court this afternoon -- even if he is not charged.

"We are going to be at the courthouse at 1:30 [p.m.] for his surrender," Miranda Sevcik, spokeswoman for Murray's legal team, told the Associated Press. "We see no reason to perpetuate the arbitrary situation any longer."

Previously, law enforcement sources told The Times that Murray's attorneys have objected to prosecutors' calls for the doctor to make a formal court appearance in which a judge would set the terms of his bail and dictate any restrictions on his movements. Instead, the attorneys want their client to be allowed to post bail at a police station, the sources said.

[Updated at 7:20 a.m.: Murray’s attorney called the charge that he was refusing to make his client available for a public court hearing “bull manure” and said negotiations broke down Thursday night because authorities insisted on “a photo op” of the physician in handcuffs.

Lawyer Ed Chernoff said Murray was prepared to surrender to a police station and post the standard $25,000 bail for an involuntary manslaughter charge. The bond would allow him to remain free pending a formal arraignment, Chernoff said.

But authorities wanted Murray to agree not to post bail at the police station so he could be taken into custody, transported to a courthouse by police and brought before a judge, the lawyer said.

“I told them there is no way that I’m going to let my client sit in jail so you can have your show and parade him into court in handcuffs,” Chernoff said. “That’s when they pulled the plug.”]

The dispute could delay plans to file charges. "It's very unclear," said one of the sources. "The defense attorneys apparently don't want him to go to a public hearing."

Surrender of Michael Jackson's doctor now in doubt

Negotiations between prosecutors and defense attorneys to secure the surrender of Michael Jackson's physician on involuntary manslaughter charges have broken down, throwing into doubt when charges might be filed in the singer's death, law enforcement sources said late Thursday.

 

Defense attorneys have objected to prosecutors' calls for Dr. Conrad Murray to make a formal court appearance where a judge would set the terms of his bail and dictate any restrictions on his movements, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

 

Instead, the attorneys want their client to be allowed to post bail at a police station, the sources said.

 

The dispute could delay plans to file involuntary manslaughter charges, which had been expected as early as Friday.

 

"It's very unclear," said one of the sources. "The defense attorneys apparently don't want him to go to a public hearing."

 --Jack Leonard, Harriet Ryan and Richard Winton

Negotiations underway for surrender of Michael Jackson's doctor [Updated]

An attorney for Michael Jackson’s doctor said he was in negotiations with a prosecutor Thursday morning about how the physician will surrender to face criminal charges in the pop icon’s death.

No case has been filed against Dr. Conrad Murray, but the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office is expected to file an involuntary manslaughter charge and potentially other counts against him this week, said numerous sources familiar with the case.

Murray’s lead attorney, Ed Chernoff, said he and Deputy Dist. Atty. David Walgren were discussing arrangements for booking and arraigning the doctor after the case is filed.

“We both share the goal of the efficient administration of this process,” Chernoff said.

Michael Jackson death investigation may be coming to a conclusion

There were growing signs Wednesday morning that the half-year investigation into the death of Michael Jackson could be coming to a conclusion.

L.A. prosecutors continue to decline comment on when -- or if -- they will charge Jackson's personal physician in connection with the pop star's death. But law enforcement sources have told The Times it's possible a decision will come sometime this week.

A lawyer for the Houston-based doctor, Conrad Murray, said Tuesday that his client is in Los Angeles and prepared to surrender if authorities file charges against him.

"I don't have any specific information that leads me to believe he is going to be charged this week," lawyer Ed Chernoff said, "but if he is, we've made it clear he's available to turn himself in."

The arrival of Murray and Chernoff, his lead attorney, from Houston set off a new round of speculation that authorities, who have been mulling a manslaughter case against the doctor since last summer, were about to file charges.

A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office declined to say whether prosecutors planned to file a case against Murray. "All I can tell you is that we have not filed anything. When and if we do, we will let everyone know at one time," spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said.

Michael Jackson's doctor prepared to surrender, his attorney says

A lawyer for Michael Jackson’s personal physician said Tuesday that the Houston-based doctor is in Los Angeles and prepared to surrender if authorities file charges against him in the pop star’s death.

“I don’t have any specific information that leads me to believe he is going to be charged this week," said lawyer Ed Chernoff, " but if he is, we’ve made it clear he’s available to turn himself in.”

The arrival of Dr. Conrad Murray and Chernoff, his lead attorney, from Houston set off a new round of speculation that authorities, who have been mulling a manslaughter case against the doctor since last summer, were about to file charges.

Chernoff said Murray was visiting L.A. on personal matters -- he has an infant son in Santa Monica -- and also planned to attend a strategy session Tuesday afternoon with his criminal defense team, made up of Chernoff, local counsel J. Michael Flanagan and Long Beach attorney Joseph Low IV. Low represents Nicole Alvarez, the mother of Murray’s infant son. 

Appeals court overturns $20-million award in secret Michael Jackson video

A state appellate court overturned a $20-million award today in a case involving a secret videotape of Michael Jackson and his attorneys that was shot on a 2003 charter jet flight.

The 2nd District Court of Appeal concluded that the award against XtraJet and its owner, Jeffrey Borer, was excessive. To view the ruling, click here.

Jackson rode the celebrity charter from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara to surrender to face child molestation charges. During the flight, the singer was captured on tape talking with attorney Mark Geragos. Jackson was later acquitted of the molestation charges.

The award was made public in 2008 after a bench trial the year before by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Soussan G. Bruguera.

The bulk of the money -- $18 million -- was awarded to Geragos, with the remainder going to his associate, Pat Harris.

Brian Kabateck, a Los Angeles attorney representing Geragos, said he would probably seek a new trial.

"I think we're going be retrying this case," Kabateck said.

He described the case as "one of the easiest" of his career, citing the evidence presented against Borer, as well as a guilty plea he entered in federal court in a separate criminal case involving the secret tape.

Attorney Lloyd Kirschbaum, who represented XtraJet, could not be reached for comment.

Borer and an associate pleaded guilty in March 2006 to federal charges of conspiring to secretly record the pop star speaking with his attorneys.

The tape came to light in 2003 after Fox News reported that it had been approached by someone who wanted to sell the video footage.

In its ruling, the appellate court concluded that Borer's conduct was "sufficiently reprehensible to warrant punitive damages."

"There was abundant evidence that Borer acted with malice," the panel wrote.

However, the court concluded, the evidence presented in the case did not support the multimillion-dollar award.

-- Robert J. Lopez

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. 

Michael Jackson's chimp Bubbles makes appearance in FBI files

Amid the 333 pages of FBI documents on Michael Jackson, none may be more curious than the reference to the pop star's pet chimp.

The chimpanzee, Bubbles, came up in the 1993 investigation into a 13-year-old boy's allegations that Jackson molested him.

What led an agent to scrawl "male chimp" twice in his notebook remains a mystery, thanks to FBI censors who redacted much of the rest of the writing on the page.

Most of the file -- nearly 200 pages -- concerns a man arrested for stalking Jackson 17 years ago. Frank Paul Jones had a history of threatening to kill the president and had been arrested numerous times outside the White House, according to investigatory reports. In rambling letters collected by the FBI, Jones claimed to be the son of John Gotti, demanded money and pledged to "commit mass murder at a Michael Jackson concert."

A Los Angeles federal judge sentenced him to two years in prison in 1993 for mailing threatening communications to Jackson.

The rest of the file, however, reflects the marginal role that the FBI played on other occasions.

Read Harriet Ryan and Kimi Yoshino's full review of the FBI file here.

Photo credit: Associated Press

FBI file on Michael Jackson shows investigations into molestation allegations, extortion attempt

Portions of a voluminous file the FBI kept on Michael Jackson were made public today at the request of media organizations, showing the agency's investigations into molestation allegations as well as extortion attempts.

The 333 pages detail the agency’s work investigating at least two accusations of child molestation – one in 1993 and another in 2004 --- against the late pop icon.

The files alluded to a 1997 child pornography probe involving the pop star in which no charges were filed.

The papers also include casework on a 1992 extortion plot targeting the singer, according to a summary provided by the agency.

L.A. officials want city attorney to report on probe of costs related to Michael Jackson memorial

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry said Monday that entertainment company AEG would not likely help defray the $3.2-million cost for police and other city services during the Michael Jackson memorial until the city attorney resolves his "criminal investigation" into the spending.

“Threats are not conductive to asking people to make a donation,” Perry said, referring to the inquiry ordered by City Atty. Carmen Trutanich. Later, she added, "We’re faced with the sword hanging over AEG’s head. I do not expect that AEG will do anything while the threat of prosecution is hanging over their head.”

As a result, members of the council’s public safety panel asked that Trutanich update them by Friday on the status of his criminal investigation into the city’s costs during the July memorial at Staples Center.

Chief Deputy City Atty. William Carter said city prosecutors had no comment on Perry’s statement or the status of their investigation.

Perry, who represents a downtown district revitalized by Anschutz Entertainment Group’s Staples Center and L.A. Live development, said there had been a lot of unnecessary drama following the Jackson memorial. Jackson died unexpectedly as AEG was promoting his international comeback tour.

Decision on criminal charges in Michael Jackson case 'months' away

Prosecutors and police investigators don't expect to file charges in connection with Michael Jackson's death before 2010, law enforcement officials told The Times.

The officials said there is such much evidence to review -- some of it complex medical data -- and that they have sought the help of outside medical experts.

A decision on whether to file criminal charges is "months rather than weeks away," one source said.

Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal physician who provided him with the anesthetic propofol that coroner's officials say killed the pop singer, has been identified as a suspect in a manslaughter investigation in search warrants and remains the focus of the probe.

The investigation has resulted in large quantities of information that need to be carefully reviewed not only by LAPD detectives, but also prosecutors and some outside medical advisers before a final decision is made on how to proceed in the case, according to sources familiar with the investigation. They spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

Michael Jackson's doctor bought powerful anesthetic a month before singer's death, court records say

Michael Jackson’s personal physician purchased five bottles of the powerful anesthetic that killed the singer from a Las Vegas pharmacy the month before his death, according to court documents unsealed today.

Dr. Conrad Murray acknowledged giving Jackson the drug propofol in a police interview two days after Jackson’s June 25 death, and according to a police affidavit made public by a Las Vegas judge, Los Angeles police and federal drug agents subsequently worked to connect the doctor to drug bottles found in the pop icon’s rented Holmby Hills mansion.

During a July raid on the cardiologist’s Las Vegas medical office, investigators found a receipt showing that a local pharmacy, Applied Pharmacy Services, had shipped quantities of the drug to Murray in May, when he was living in Los Angeles and working full-time for Jackson, according to the affidavit.

Michael Jackson was 'probably' in denial about drug abuse, Janet Jackson says

Michael Jackson, who died of an overdose of a powerful sedative,  was "probably" in denial about his drug abuse, his sister Janet Jackson said in an interview.

In an interview with ABC News, Jackson said the family was aware of the pop star's drug problems and in the past had organized interventions for him.

"You can't make them drink the water," Janet Jackson said. "I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer -- but it's, it's something that you can't do for them. Something they have to do for themselves."

Asked about whether Michael Jackson believed he had drug problems, his sister added:  "I felt that he was in denial."

Jackson died of "lethal levels" of the powerful anesthetic propofol, according to a search warrant affidavit unsealed in Houston.

Janet Jackson: Doctor is 'responsible' for Michael Jackson's death

Janet Jackson has broken her silence on the death of Michael Jackson, saying that the pop star's doctor is "responsible" for her brother's death.

Dr. Conrad Murray is at the center of what has been a five-month-long criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding Jackson's death.

Law enforcement sources have told The Times that on the morning the pop singer died, Murray left the performer alone and under the influence of a powerful anesthetic. By the time the doctor returned from to making telephone calls, Jackson had stopped breathing, the sources said. Murray has been identified in court records as a suspect in a police manslaughter investigation.

In an interview with ABC News, Janet Jackson said Murray is "responsible" for her brother's death. He was the one that was administering," she said. "I think he is responsible."

Michael Jackson memorial brought in $4 million to L.A., audit says

A new City of Los Angeles report found that the controversial public memorial for Michael Jackson at Staples Center actually brought in more money to area businesses than officials paid out in police and other public services costs.

The chief legislative analyst concluded that the event cost the city $3.2 million, including $1.2 million for straight salary, overtime and other expenses. Most of that money covered costs incurred by the Los Angeles Police Department, which was out in force over concerns about huge crowds converging in downtown L.A. for the pop star's funeral.

But the report said that the funeral stimulated the local economy to the tune of an estimated $4 million. The report did not break down the estimate. But it cited a study by LA Inc. showing an increase of $1.2 million in hotel revenues.

Michael Jackson's burial cost $1 million, including $35,000 for burial outfit, $16,000 for flowers

Michael Jackson’s funeral at Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale cost more than $1 million, including $35,000 for the pop star’s burial garments, according to court documents unsealed today.

Jackson was interred amid much media hype at the cemetery's Great Mausoleum in September. The pop singer's remains were placed in a crypt in the Holly Terrace section of the mausoleum, a massive building that is the final resting place for stars from film's golden age, including Jean Harlow, Carole Lombard and Clark Gable.

According to court documents reviewed by The Times, the funeral cost $1.09 million. Most of that money went to Forest Lawn for various costs. Besides the cost of Jackson’s garments, the court documents said flowers for the burial cost $16,000.

A judge approved the cost of the burial in September, but the records were not unsealed until today. 

Michael Jackson's mother no longer objects to estate executors

An attorney for Katherine Jackson this morning told a judge that the singer’s mother no longer objects to the special administrators of her son’s estate.

The attorney, Adam Streisand, said his client feels it’s “high time” that they move past the conflict and begin to “work together.”

Attorneys for Katherine Jackson had previously indicated she may legally challenge the executors named in the will to manage the estate.

Lawyers have said the singer’s trust includes a provision that cuts out of the will any beneficiary who challenges its validity. Streisand also objected to Joe Jackson stepping into the fray, arguing that the singer’s father had no standing because he was not named as an heir.

Judge Mitchell Beckloff will hear arguments this afternoon over father Joe Jackson’s involvement.

Joe Jackson's attorneys want the estate to help cover living expenses that exceed $20,000 a month.

Joe Jackson on Monday also filed new court papers claiming that his son believed the executors of his will were defrauding him.

Joe Jackson had a rocky relationship with his son and was not mentioned in the pop star's will.

The estate is already paying Jackson's mother a monthly allowance of $26,000 and an attorney for Joe Jackson, 81, wrote in the Los Angeles County Superior Court filing that the family patriarch was entitled to the "same manner" of support.

--Victoria Kim

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Judge considers allowance for Joe Jackson; new Michael Jackson estate allegations

Joe Jackson's attorneys will ask a Los Angeles judge this morning to have Michael Jackson's estate to help cover living expenses that exceed $20,000 a month.

Joe Jackson on Monday also filed new court papers claiming that his son believed the executors of his will were defrauding him.

Joe Jackson had a rocky relationship with his son and was not mentioned in the pop star's will.

The estate is already paying Jackson's mother a monthly allowance of $26,000 and an attorney for Joe Jackson, 81, wrote in the Los Angeles County Superior Court filing that the family patriarch was entitled to the "same manner" of support.

In the papers, his lawyer wrote that Michael Jackson had footed his father's bills for decades.

"He does not have a regular or steady source of income, and he was dependent upon the money provided by his son, Michael Jackson, through his wife, Katherine Jackson, for his support," attorney Brian Oxman wrote in court papers.

--Shelby Grad

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

Judge delays legal squabble between L.A. city attorney and controller

Judge considers allowance for Joe Jackson; new Michael Jackson estate allegations

MTA report calls for light rail, not rapid bus line, on Crenshaw corridor

L.A. school leaders, community groups to debunk inflammatory flier aimed at undocumented parents

Southern California police look for possible links to Cleveland serial-killer suspect

Santa Monica Pier to be anointed as Route 66 terminus

Dog rescued, another badly injured in Long Beach blaze

LAPD Chief-Designate Beck to appear at Mar Vista town hall