Michael Jackson’s death was indeed ruled as acute propofol intoxication, with benzodiazepine effects also contributing. He passed away on June 25, 2009, due to the effects of these drugs, which were administered by his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray.
The coroner’s report identified propofol and lorazepam as the primary drugs that led to Michael Jackson’s death, with other substances like midazolam, diazepam, lidocaine, and ephedrine also found in his system.
The manner of death was classified as a homicide, given that the drugs were administered by his physician, Dr. Conrad Murray.
The search warrants revealed that marijuana and various empty drug bottles were found at Jackson’s home, including those for temazepam, lorazepam, and diazepam.
The warrants also indicated that Jackson had “lethal levels” of propofol in his blood on the morning of his death.
Along with propofol, Jackson had received a mix of painkillers and sedatives, contributing to the circumstances of his death.
Dr. Sathyavagiswaran’s preliminary assessment indicated that Michael Jackson’s death was caused by lethal levels of propofol.
Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson’s personal physician, admitted to treating Jackson with propofol and attempting to wean him off the drug using sedatives like lorazepam and midazolam.
Edward Chernoff, Dr. Murray’s attorney, acknowledged that while some information in the affidavit was factual, he criticized the affidavit for containing police theories and inaccuracies, particularly regarding the timeline, which he claimed was not based on interviews with Dr. Murray.
“Dr. Murray simply never told investigators that he found Michael Jackson at 11:00 a.m. not breathing.
He also never said that he waited a mere 10 minutes before leaving to make several phone calls. In fact, Dr. Murray never said that he left Michael Jackson’s room to make phone calls at all.”
Dr. Conrad Murray reported that Michael Jackson had developed a dependency on propofol, which he referred to as his “milk.”
On the night of June 24 and the morning of June 25, Murray attempted to manage Jackson’s insomnia with various sedatives: Valium at 1:30 a.m., 2 mg of lorazepam at 2 a.m., midazolam at 3 a.m., and another 2 mg of lorazepam at 5 a.m.
When Jackson remained unable to sleep, Murray administered an additional 2 mg of midazolam at 7:30 a.m. At 10:40 a.m., after Jackson’s continued requests, Murray gave him 25 mg of propofol diluted with lidocaine.
Murray stated he monitored Jackson with a pulse oximeter throughout this period.
Dr. Murray reported that he left Michael Jackson’s room for about 10 minutes to use the bathroom.
Upon his return, he found Jackson not breathing and immediately began CPR. Murray instructed his assistant, Alberto Alvarez, to call 911 and asked Jackson’s chef to find and bring Jackson’s oldest son, Prince.
“Murray’s cellular telephone records show Murray on the telephone with three separate callers for approximately 47 minutes starting at 11:18 [a.m.] until 12:05 [p.m.,]” the affidavit stated.
Paramedics arrived at Michael Jackson’s home around 12:22 p.m. on June 25, 2009.
The search warrant issued in Texas in July was part of an investigation into Jackson’s death, leading to raids on Dr. Conrad Murray’s offices in Texas and Las Vegas by local and federal authorities.
“The Jackson family has full confidence in the legal process, and commends the ongoing efforts of the L.A. County Coroner, the L.A. District Attorney and the L.A. Police Department. The family looks forward to the day that justice can be served,” the family said in a statement following the release of the warrant.
