Jackson Doctor "Boxed In" By Money Woes?

(CBS)  Money troubles may have led the physician who was caring for Michael Jackson when the King of Pop died to work for Jackson, a friend and business associate of Dr. Conrad Murray says.

Murray's Las Vegas home and office were searched by authorities Tuesday, and he is widely thought to be at the center of the investigation of Jackson's death.

On "The Early Show" Wednesday, John Lewis, who's had business dealings with Murray since 2004, said Murray is a "very nice" and 'really caring" person whose employees love him.

But Murray is said to have been having financial difficulties, and was reported to be making $150,000 a month to be Jackson's personal doctor.

Complete coverage of Jackson's life and death
"Dr. Murray always gave the image that things were fine, that he was doing very well," Lewis told co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez, and you "never got" the impression he was going through financial turmoil.

The pressure Murray may have been feeling to maintain the image that he was successful, and the on-going money problems, may have led to his going to work for Jackson and being boxed in once he did, Lewis speculated.

"Any doctor that was with Michael Jackson at the time would be in trouble," Lewis remarked. "I mean, it was common knowledge Michael Jackson was on prescription drugs. He was fighting that. And to be a doctor with a client that died because of drugs, I mean, it would be hard to fight that, I mean, against that. I mean, because all the evidence, you are the doctor. So, everybody's going to look at you first. How can a person die with the doctor there?"

Lewis spoke with Rodriguez after CBS News Correspondent Michelle Gielan profiled Murray:


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[HGOODGUY]

WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME HOW SOMEONE MAKING $150,000.00 PER MONTH HAS MONEY WOES????

[edgy44]

Bottom line, he should have told AEG that their contract was in jeapordy because the entertainer was a junkie. That their investment was going up in smoke. He would have been a hero. Now he's just a pusher and will probably end-up in some third-world country that doesn't require medical licensing. e.g., voodoo doctors in Haiti...

[nirak2-2009]

Sorry to be knocked out at night with a drug just to sleep, I call that a Druggie. Besides It's illegal to use a drug only used in Operating Rooms.

[marianmi]

To All people who Still DO NOT know The king of Pop and Still Falsely Accuse Him: MJ was Not an Addict , He was on Prescription Drugs For more than two decades,only because of His Health Condition,He Had Developed Lupus(Because of that he had to use Umbrella and Medical Masks) ,A very Dangerous,Painful and Rare Skin Disease called:Vitiligo(Search and you will understand more about it ,This Disease caused His skin to loose it's Natural color) and Also His Most Excusiating Physical Pain was From His Severely Burned Skull in Pepsi Commercial,Doctors wanted to ease the Pain because of that, they perscribed the most Powerful Pain Killers For him , He NEVER OverDosed in use of Pain killers , Only In the early 90's when he was Falsely accused FOR MOLESTIND THAT BOY, AND IT'S TERRIBLE CONSEQUENCES,HE became an addict to Pain Killers,BUT He himself admitted that, publicly talked about the reason of his problem and went to rehab and since then,although he suffered and falsely accused alot, But he NEVER misused drugs,He was a True Angel and the Greatest Human being,Artist,Father and Humaniterian Of all times,it IS amazing and at the same time very shameful that people who suffered MJ,THE MOST,and even caused the Rising of those False Accusations, are the ONES WHOM Now ,that He Is Gone , Pretend to Be Very Close To Him and NEVER suffering him,I am Talking about Heartless Jeremiah Jackson (Mohammad Abdul Aziz),WHO Wote and released "Word to Badd" and in that accused Michael of being a Monster!,Also he Recently wrote a book against MJ,AND NOW HE SHOW himself as a loving Big Brother to Michael, It Is Shameful , and His Dad Joe Jackson who now claim that he never abused Michael!

[nirak2-2009]

Any Physician who believes money is more important than his patient is not worth a dime. Period.
Since Murray only came unto the scene in May, Michael has been on drugs for a long time, but it was Murray's job to say NO

[saturn05]

It doesn't matter if the Dr had money woes. He could have said no, money offers or not. He is to fault for giving MJ the drugs and it is MJ's fault for taking the drugs.

[stillwaters6]

We agree to disagree...the price was right and that's why some doctor's all over america prescribed drugs. SOme prescribe drugs for illnesses they know the patient does not have. Conversely, patients with little or no health care financing will consume litlle or no health care. Patients with lots of health care and financing will consume a lot of health care. ANd if they are sicko they will pay all they have plus still from some one else to get treatment if need be.

[pw08-2009]

I wish they had never reported this because now we all get to hear how the doctor's money issues weren't his fault and how the whole thing is the fault of white people being racists.

[stillwaters6]

Once again the race dinosaur comes up...

Look everybody has a price, even you,...

As long as somebody wants a commodity and they are willing to pay thousands of dollars in non-taxable and non-traceable cash for it, somebody will produce and sell it to them (doctors, lawyers, wall street, neighbor next door are not immune) There is nothing racist here about it IT'S JUST CAPITALISM AT ITS FINEST!

FREE MARKET REIGNS...

there's a reason why the dollar is printed on 3X6 paper.

[docpeter1953]

Not really.

What we are going to hear is that this Dr.'s $$ issues weren't his fault and the Govt. is going to give him a couple $B as a bailout.