CBS/AP/ June 29, 2009, 7:34 AM

Jackson's Heart OK, Doc's Lawyer Says

The lawyer for the doctor who was the last to treat Michael Jackson before his death last Thursday said his client never detected a heart condition in the pop star.

Edward Chernoff, Dr. Conrad Murray's attorney, told CBS' The Early Show Monday that Jackson was "in relatively good health."

Chernoff added that Murray was unaware if Jackson was abusing prescription drugs, a claim that the singer's lawyer had made last week.

When asked, Chernoff said his client prescribed drugs for Jackson, though he declined to list what they were. Instead, Chernoff said Murray's prescriptions were "appropriate."



Click here for complete coverage of Michael Jackson's death.



Chernoff told The Associated Press that Murray was at the pop icon's rented mansion on Thursday afternoon when he discovered Jackson in bed and not breathing. The doctor immediately began administering CPR, Chernoff said.

"He just happened to find him in his bed, and he wasn't breathing," the lawyer said. "Mr. Jackson was still warm and had a pulse."

Jackson's family requested a private autopsy in part because of questions about Murray, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said Saturday. Murray also told the family an autopsy should be performed, Chernoff said.

Paramedics were called to the mansion while the doctor was performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), according to a recording of the emergency call.

Because Jackson was so frail, Murray "administered with his hand behind his back to provide the necessary support," Chernoff said. Some have speculated the doctor botched the CPR.

"He's a trained doctor," Chernoff said. "He knows how to administer CPR."

Medics spent three-quarters of an hour trying to revive Jackson. He was pronounced dead later at University of California Los Angeles Medical Center.

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
5 Comments Add a Comment
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noirviolette says:
If the National Enquirer needs extra writers all they have to do is search out some of these comment posters.Man!But thanks for the laugh.Why not (as with all events) wait till all is checked out before posting your wild conclusions and condeming people.And NO where in this article did it say this Doctor didn't know how to perform CPR or that he was instructed by 911 operator.
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juliuswillis says:
hopefully the autopsy will discover what this lame doctor was up to.
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thusspokezara says:
Where did this guy go to medical school? NYU?
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govtguy says:
Yeah sure, and all of this from a "doctor" who has more legal problems than there are M&M's! This guy needs to really be put under the microscope; he needs a good tazer-zap to understand malfeasance, misfeasance, non-feasance, medical malpractice, and patient abuse! This guy is another example of the buzzards and leaches that prey on society! As a cardiologist, I find it exceptionally odd that he did not how to properly do CPR and had to be instructed by 911 operator on what to do; this should RED FLAG him immediately to the police investigators.
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Livinontheedge says:
Seems funny that a doctor would not do CPR the correct way. Was this a doctor assisted suicide? Starting to look real suspicious. A mixture of demerol and oxycontin on board and CPR done to make it look like he tried to do something to save his life.
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