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Lawyer: Police seek Jackson manslaughter link
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-07-23 08:14 An autopsy was conducted but results are not expected until next week. The Jackson family had a second autopsy performed and those results also are pending.
Braun said of Wednesday's raid in Houston that by stating they are investigating what they believe is manslaughter, authorities don't need to worry about patient-doctor confidentiality — the right doesn't exist in criminal cases. To prove a charge of manslaughter, authorities must prove there was a reckless action that created a risk of death or great bodily injury. If a doctor is aware of the risk, there might also be an issue of whether the patient was made aware of that risk and decided to take it. A patient's complicity in taking the risk could reduce the doctor's culpability, Braun said. Investigators have found the powerful anesthetic propofol in Jackson's home, according to a person with knowledge of the investigation. The person is not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity. The officials are working with the Drug Enforcement Administration and California attorney general's office to determine how the medications got there.
Belinda Foster says Lee is cooperating with investigators but required a subpoena because the records were protected by law. Lee treated Jackson between January and April, when she says he began persistently asking her for the anesthetic. Police detectives have already spoken to Murray twice — once immediately after the singer's death and again two days later. Police investigators say Murray is cooperating in their investigation. The Las Vegas-based doctor is also licensed in California, Nevada and Texas. Sevcik, Chernoff's spokeswoman, said the interview with coroner's investigators might happen Friday. Murray is currently in Las Vegas and Chernoff would be speaking to investigators without the doctor being present. There was no sign of activity Wednesday at Murray's medical offices in Las Vegas. Doors were locked and curtains drawn at his practice, Global Cardiovascular Associates. There was no immediate record of a search warrant for Murray's medical office or his Las Vegas home, said Esther McElhaney, a Las Vegas court spokeswoman. But she said police would have 10 days to provide a report to a judge in Las Vegas Justice Court about any items or documents seized if they had searched either location recently. The DEA has assisted in probes into other celebrity deaths, including the 2007 overdose death of Anna Nicole Smith as well as that of actor Heath Ledger. Jean Rosenbluth, a University of Southern California law professor, says the agency's involvement in the Jackson case suggests authorities are looking into whether drugs came from out of state. Federal drug regulations include controls over whether and how frequently a doctor can write prescriptions over the phone, and DEA agents could be looking to see if these rules were broken, Rosenbluth said.
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