LOS ANGELES (AFP) - – Michael Jackson's doctor will be charged
in connection with the pop star's death next week, the Los Angeles
District Attorney's Office confirmed.
A statement said unspecified charges would be filed on Monday
followed by an arraignment. A law enforcement source speaking on
condition of anonymity confirmed to AFP that Murray would be
charged with involuntary manslaughter.
The announcement followed days of speculation about the
possibility of criminal charges being filed against Murray, the
Houston-based physician who was with Jackson shortly before the pop
icon died suddenly last June.
Murray had initially been expected to surrender to custody on
Friday ahead of a court hearing, but charges were delayed amid
reports of a disagreement between prosecutors and the Los Angeles
Police Department.
Local prosecutors had been negotiating with defense lawyers for
Murray to surrender voluntarily in the early hours of Friday,
before appearing in court without handcuffs or shackles.
Police were reportedly opposed to the plan, seeking to have
Murray arrested, booked and handcuffed in plain view.
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck denied there was any
conflict about the terms of the doctor's surrender or that the
department was insisting on a "photo op" showing Murray in
handcuffs.
"We're not looking for that kind of photo op; that's not what we
do," Beck said in an interview on KTLA television.
Reports of Murray's looming manslaughter case followed a
painstaking and prolonged police investigation.
Under California law, involuntary manslaughter --
unintentionally causing death through negligence, carelessness or a
misdemeanor -- is punishable by up to four years in prison.
Murray, 56, has acknowledged that he administered the powerful
anesthetic propofol to Jackson only after trying many other
medications to help him sleep following the singer's "repeated
demands/requests" for the drug.
Propofol is a powerful anesthetic used to render patients
unconscious before major surgery. Medical experts say it should
only be used and administered by trained staff under hospital
conditions.
Unsealed court documents that included a review of toxicology
results found that Jackson died from "lethal levels of
propofol."