Report: Doctor Left Jackson Alone After Administering Propofol

Sources close to the investigation into the death of Michael Jackson tell the Los Angeles Times the star's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, left Jackson alone in his bedroom after administering the powerful sedative Propofol the morning of Jackson's death. The report indicates Murray felt comfortable leaving Jackson alone after administering the anesthetic as an insomnia treatment — and that Murray had given Jackson the drug repeatedly while under his employ — but when he returned from placing cellphone calls to family and employees, he found Jackson with just a faint pulse.

As Rock Daily previously reported, despite the fact that the results of the toxicology report remain sealed, authorities believe that Murray administered Propofol to Jackson in the hours before his death. An overdose of the sedative could cause a patient to stop breathing, which leads to a buildup of carbon dioxide buildup in the body that could result in sudden cardiac arrest. The question now, according to the LAT, is whether investigators can gather enough evidence to indict Murray on manslaughter charges.

Since a small amount of Propofol was found from Jackson's home, authorities would have to prove that Murray was reckless when treating Jackson. The Los Angeles Times writes that Jackson was also taking other prescription drugs — as many as five doctors are being investigated, but Murray is the lone focus — further complicating the case. The raids of Murray's Houston and Las Vegas offices were reportedly an attempt to see if Murray prescribed any other medication to Jackson that would possibly increased the effect of Propofol.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Jackson had been using Propofol for over a decade, which also hurts the manslaughter case against Murray. "When he accepted the job, he was not aware of any specific requirements regarding medications that Michael Jackson was taking or any addictions that he was suffering from," Murray's lawyer Ed Chernoff said yesterday, adding that after Murray moved to Los Angeles to be Jackson's fulltime physician, "[Murray] realized that Michael Jackson had some very unusual problems."

Related Stories:
• Michael Jackson Autopsy Results Sealed During Investigation
• Michael Jackson Investigation's Lone Focus Turns to Dr. Murray
• Police Believe Jackson's Physician Administered Deadly Propofol

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Song Stories

“Let My Love Open the Door”

Pete Townshend | 1980

A peppy, hopeful love song, "Let My Love Open the Door" became a U. S. Top Ten hit for Pete Townshend in 1980, anchored by the kind of repeating synthesizer figures that he'd used in some of the Who's recordings in the previous decade. Although Townshend brushed the song off as "just a ditty" in Rolling Stone shortly after its release, in 1996 he revealed it was about love of the holiest sort. "It's supposed to be about the power of God's love," he remarked. "That when you're in difficulty, whether it's major or minor, God's love is always there for you."

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