Michael Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, was charged
with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the pop star's death
on June 25. Murray, who was with the singer during his final hours.
According to the criminal complaint filed by prosecutors, Murray is
expected to surrender to authorities. If convicted, Murray faces a
maximum of four years in prison.
"We'll make bail, we'll plead not guilty and we'll fight like hell,"
Ed Chernoff, Murray's lawyer, told reporters before the charge was
filed.
Murray, who was treating Jackson as the singer geared up to launch a
series of comeback concerts in London, told investigators that he
administered the surgical anesthetic propofol, as well as other
tranquilizers, to Jackson several times in the hours leading up to his
death. The coroner has ruled that the singer died of lethal levels of
the drug. Murray obtained propofol legally, according to the AP, but
is accused of negligence in the administration of the drug, a stance
prosecutors came to after speaking with more than 10 medical experts.
The complaint says that Murray told investigators he gave Jackson
propofol at 11 a.m. on the day of his death and then left the room to
use the bathroom. The chain of events that followed are disputed.
While Murray told officials he returned from the bathroom to find
Jackson no longer breathing and that he tried to revive the singer, a
call to 911 was not made until 12:21 p.m. During that time, Murray
made many non-emergency calls. Murray's lawyer, however, says that
Murray misspoke during his interview with prosecutors and that the
doctor did not discover Jackson until about 12 p.m.
Murray is expected to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. According to TMZ, bail
will be set at $25,000. Murray is expected to arrive before the
arraignment with lawyers and a bail bondsman.
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