The colossal delirium that materialized when pop phenomenon Michael Jackson died last summer has resumed and taken the life of a full-fledged spectacle as the subject of his death is making the most recent headlines. Texas cardiologist Conrad Murray, who was hired as a personal doctor by Jackson, was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the king of pop’s Jun. 25 death, a charge that could land him up to 4 years in prison if convicted. Amid the presence of the Jackson family and fans who shouted “murderer” to him, Murray pled not guilty to the charge on Feb. 8, settling to $75, 000 bail. Under the bail conditions, Murray was permitted to continue practice but had to forfeit his passport and withdraw the use of specific drugs, namely the powerful anesthetic Propofol, used in the Jackson death.
Michael Jackson’s death has been ruled a homicide after an amalgamation of drugs were found to have caused cardiac arrest. According to court filings, on the day of Jackson’s death, Murray attended to him at his mansion and reportedly gave the pop sensation Propofol just before 11 a.m. and then went to use the bathroom. Murray claims that once he returned, he discovered Jackson wasn’t breathing and tried resuscitating him to no avail. In addition, a set of non-emergency phone calls were made by Murray for a 47-minute time span before he called an ambulance at 12:21 p.m.
Murray has said that he used the anesthetic to help Jackson sleep but only after the icon had requested it and insisted he did not give the pop icon anything that would have killed him. Although Murray obtained the drug legally, the medical issues here include the setting in which he administered the drug and his qualification. In keeping with the American Society of Anesthesiologists, those administering Propofol should be anesthesiologists with knowledge and preparation on handling any difficulties, available at hand to supervise patients “without interruption,” and have equipment readily accessible for trouble. Because there is no evidence that Murray intended to kill Jackson, there has been no murder charge. However, Murray’s medical negligence was enough to indict him with “unlawfully and without malice” killing the pop star. Since his arraignment, Murray has returned to work in Nevada, agreeing to the aforementioned bail agreement.
