Federal drug agents and Los Angeles police detectives raided the Houston office of Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, this morning. The cardiologist (insert top left) was the last person to see the King of Pop alive. (Gina Sunseri/ABC News/AP)Well, we saw this coming--right?
Federal authorities raided the Houston office of Dr. Conrad Murray looking for evidence of manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson.
About a dozen Drug Enforcement Agency agents, two LAPD detectives and 10 Houston police officers arrived at Murray's office at about 10:30 a.m. and left shortly after carrying a forensic copy of a computer hardrive and 21 documents said to be Michael's medical records.
As I watched the images, I couldn't help but notice that the King of Pop hired a doctor with a shabby office flanked by liquor and convenience stores in a not-so-nice part of Houston instead of one with a marble-walled clinic in Beverly Hills.
Investigators showed up with a search warrant at the Armstrong Medical Clinic, where Murray's office is located. The clinic reportedly is owned by a doctor whose DEA license to prescribe medications was revoked in 2005 for "over prescribing," officials said.
The search warrant reportedly was issued based on preliminary autopsy results showing that Michael's death was linked to the anesthetic Diprivan (or the generic propofol).
UPDATE: An official from the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office paid a visit to Cherilyn Lee--the nurse who claims Michael recently begged her for Diprivan--and left with Michael Jackson's medical records. It was when Lee spoke about her experience with Michael on primetime TV that the investigation into his death went turbo.
An hour or so after the raid today, Murray's lawyer, Ed Chernoff, released the following statement, confirming this is a manslaughter investigation:
"We can confirm that a search warrant was executed today on Dr. Murray's offices in Houston, Texas. We reviewed the warrant and remained on the premises while the search was being executed.
The search was conducted by members of the DEA, two robbery-homicide detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department and Houston Police officers.
The search warrant authorized law enforcement to search for and seize items, including documents, they believed constituted evidence of the offense of manslaughter.
Law enforcement concluded their search around 12:30 p.m., and left with a forensic image of a business computer hard drive and 21 documents. None of the documents taken had previously been requested by law enforcement or the L.A. Coroner's office."
Dr. Murray, who reportedly took an indefinite leave of absence from his Acres Homes clinic in May to be Michael Jackson's personal physician, was the last person to see Michael Jackson alive.
He told police that he found Michael lying on his (his Michael's or his Murray's?--we thought he meant Michael's bed, but word is it was the doctor's) bed unconscious with a weak pulse sometime before noon June 25 and that he was so frail, Murray administered CPR with one hand behind Michael's back.
(Copyright 2009 / National Photo Group)That's what he's saying now, after everyone questioned why a cardiologist would administer CPR on a bed vs. on the floor, as he should. So, who knows what's true. The King of Pop was declared dead at UCLA Medical Center at around 2:30 p.m. that afternoon.
I said it before, and I'll say it again--Murray is toast. How crispy? I'm not sure, but he'll be served with a choice of butter, jam or cream cheese...if you ask me.
Whenever approached with questions from the media during the past couple of weeks, all he--through his lawyers--has said is that he's "cooperating fully with the investigation."
Hey, did you give Diprivan or any other drug to Michael Jackson the night before he died? "I'm cooperating fully with the investigation."
What was he doing in your bedroom that morning? "I'm cooperating fully with the investigation."
Why were you giving him CPR on the bed? "I'm cooperating fully with the investigation."
Why did you wait so long (allegedly more than 20 minutes) to call for help? "I'm cooperating fully with the investigation."
Where you giving him any other drugs? "I'm cooperating fully with the investigation."
Why did you not identify yourself to the family in the hospital? "I'm cooperating fully with the investigation."
Why did you suddenly take off and disappear for three days while the cops were looking for you to question you about what happened that morning? "I'm cooperating fully with the investigation."
Would you like lasagna or chicken parmesan this evening? "I'm cooperating fully with the investigation."
Another one who's toast is Dr. Arnold Klein, Michael's dermatologist of 20-plus years--yes, that one who was as slippery as a greased pig on Larry King and Good Morning America a couple of weeks ago. He must be trying to slip out of the country as police get ready to raid his office, if they haven't yet.
Michael Jackson died after going into cardiac arrest June 25 in his rented home in Beverly Hills, California. He was 50 years old.
The circumstances of his death are shady and have lead to an investigation. Toxicology test results from the autopsy are still pending, and if the anesthetic Diprivan, narcotic Demerol (an opiate pain medication) or any other drug capable of killing him is found (as it's likely), the shit is really going to hit the fan.
For background info, check out recent Michael Jackson posts:
Michael Jackson: accident, murder or slow suicide? posted July 12
Michael Jackson's doctor could be bio-father of kids, posted July 9
Michael Jackson - what the doctor ordered? posted June 27
Sources: TMZ, Reuters, ABC News
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