Michael Jackson’s doctors not likely to face murder charges
Michael Jackson’s doctors are not likely to be named as murder suspects, a senior law enforcement official close to the investigation says.
“They are not suspects,” the source said of the doctors who have been requested to turn over medical records belonging to the pop super star. “They are repositories of medical history. There’s been a high level of co-operation,” he told The Los Angeles Times.
The official, who is close to the multi-agency probe, said, “There’s a lot of hysteria out there.” He added that evidence so far did not support any murder charge. “There’s nothing I have been told that would suggest a murder charge. It’s just so remote and so unsupported by the facts as they’ve been gathered.”
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said that many cases of homicide do not result in murder or manslaughter charges. Jackson’s alleged history of drug use and use of prescription drugs will weigh into the district attorney’s decision.
If Propofol is found to be the cause of death, it could tilt the investigation into the criminal, he said, however. But the worst charge that has been weighed so far in the case that the powerful sedative found in Jackson’s residence, Diprivan, is confirmed as the cause of his death, is one of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors have discussed a range of possible charges in that situation “all the way up to involuntary manslaughter,” he said.
Vesna Maras, a former LA County deputy district attorney who prosecuted physicians and nurses in medical cases, said: “If it is a combination of drugs, and these drugs were coming from multiple sources, the argument can be made that the doctors did not know their patient was doctor-shopping. That can make it really hard to prosecute.”
But, she said, things can change when Propofol – which is only meant for use by anaesthetists – is involved. If investigators find that a doctor who wasn’t an anaesthetist gave the drug to Jackson without the equipment to monitor the patient while he was under anaesthetic, “in that case, I would not rule out filing a murder case,” she said.
But the sources agreed that the probe may end without criminal charges directly related to the death. Even if the coroner declares the case a homicide, authorities may not pursue charges, said one source familiar with the investigation.
Source: Splash News