Jackson Doctor Under Increased Scrutiny

Role In Singer's Care Before And After Pop Icon Collapsed Being Questioned

(CBS)  "I hope he's got a good lawyer."

Investigative reporter Diane Dimond says the cardiologist who was with Michael Jackson when the pop icon collapsed, Dr. Conrad Murray, may need one.

"If he was the only doctor on the scene and, as we heard in the 911 call (audio of which was released by the Los Angeles Police Department), worked on Michael Jackson for quite awhile before they called 911, he may be culpable of something," Dimond, who's covered Michael Jackson for years, said to co-anchor Chris Wragge on The Early Show Saturday Edition.

In the 911 call, made from inside the L.A. mansion that Jackson was renting, the caller is heard saying, "He's not breathing. He's not breathing."

The operator asked if anyone witnessed what happened, and the caller said, "Um, no, just the doctor, Sir. The doctor's been the only one here. ... He's pumping. He's pumping his chest, but he's not responding to anything."

"Mystery surrounds Murray," observes CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker.

And L.A. cops want to question him.

"It's very important to interview everybody who was in contact with Mr. Jackson immediately prior to his demise. ... particularly anybody involved with his physical care ... so it's very important to talk to the doctor," LAPD Deputy Chief Charlie Beck told reporters.

A vehicle reportedly driven by Murray was towed from the rented Jackson mansion as part of the probe of the singer's death, Whitaker reports.

"The vehicle was impounded because we are still actively trying to assess what the nature of Mr. Jackson's death is, and whether or not any prescription or other medications were involved," Beck added.

Police say Murray has agreed to speak with investigators, and insist he's not currently under investigation, Whitaker points out.


Complete Coverage of Michael Jackson's Death

But some of Jackson's friends are saying they've long-feared his use of prescription drugs would lead to tragedy, Whitaker continues, and now emphasis will be placed on who may have supplied them and exactly what he was taking.

Results of autopsy-related toxicology tests won't be available until a month from now, officials says.

Dimond told Wragge she was "stunned to learn this doctor (Murray) was hired by the concert promoter (AEG Live), I guess at Michael's request. He wanted to have a doctor with him. I worked in Hollywood for many years, (for) most of the '90s, and when the celebrities have a personal doctor, it's really a prescription writer; it's really a personal drug supplier."

Dimond says she's "covered Michael Jackson since 1993. He has always had an entourage of people around him of people who do exactly what he says, or they're not there anymore. As to who is responsible, I believe in personal responsibility: You put a pill in your mouth, you did that, you put a needle in your arm, you did that. But ... there were enablers around him."
Does she truly believe drugs played a role in Jackson's death? She's referred to Jackson in the past as a drug addict.

"I think so, especially - and I'm not the only one who says he's a drug addict. ... But I think so. The coroner said (they saw) no visible signs of trauma, so that tells me his anorexia did not cause a diseased heart. They didn't say they saw a diseased heart or a bad ventricle or artery. So, it's something else that killed him."

Dimond notes that, in 1984, Jackson was doing a Pepsi commercial, and his hair caught on fire and, "At that point, my sources inside the Jackson family and company, said he became addicted, first of all, to the painkillers he took for that, but also to the cosmetic surgeries that followed. He had to have some surgeries done on that bald spot on his scalp, and then the rest is history, on his face."

She says Jackson was apparently on a "cocktail" of prescription meds and she expects toxicology tests to show "that his system was full of narcotic drugs. Even his friend, Liza Minnelli, said, when the toxicology test comes out, all you-know-what's gonna break loose. And I believe that's true."

[martin9p2]

CBS is making "news" out of blog posts, comments by commentators, ... and the neighbor's dog. Let's see some hard news reporting.

[erasmus111]

by AJMarine12 June 27, 2009 10:42 AM PDT
This doctor was just Michael's drug dealer,....plain and simple.


What gets me is how they think they will get away with it. Especially after Anna Nicole. These doctors know what the results are of taking these drugs, so why would they think that people aren't going to be questioning them for giving it to them? The money was blinding them? They would have to be pretty dense.

[thusspokezara]

So many questions for the doctor.
1. Why was he at the home? When did he arrive?
2. Did he take a complete medical history? Where is it documented?
3. Did he examine the patient? Did he document his findings?
4. What medication did he administer? How much? When? How frequently? Fo what reason? By what route?
5. Did he monitor the patient after administering the medication?
6. Was Narcan given to reverse the respiratory suppression?
7. Where did he get the medication?
8. Was anybody with him and the patient?
9. Have any complaints been filed against the doctor previously?
10. Where did he go to medical school. (Probably NYU).
11. How much time elapsed between the doctor noticing that patient was in distress and the ambulance being called?

[AJMarine12]

This doctor was just Michael's drug dealer,....plain and simple.

[caliguy55]

To all those calling this physician a "drug pusher" and stating he'd better have an attorney, I say you may be the one needing an attorney. There is no evidence whatever to back up any claim that this physician was improperly prescribing any drugs to Michael Jackson. And, calling someone a drug pusher, when it's false, is defamation per se as you're accusing them of a crime. Besides, in order to get a prescription for a schedule II drug filed in California, one must go through an arduous process of presenting a perfectly written prescription in the sense that every i is dotted and every t crossed. Then, upon presentation of the prescription to a pharmacist to be filled, it is immediately scanned into a statewide computer system and all the information such as name, address, etc., of both the prescriber and patient is immediately placed into the same system. If there is any match of any information on the prescription with similar information from another prescription for a schedule II substance, the pharmacist is immediately notified and will not fill the prescription. In addition, narcotics agents are immediately informed of the situation. Try to "doctor shop" in California, and you will be behind bars within a matter of minutes.

[docpeter1953]

Who cares???????????????

MJ..................