We have watched the endless barrage of stories surrounding the death of pop icon Michael Jackson, who died exactly two months ago. News has centered around the speculation of who will get his three children, whose DNA both maternally and paternally are in question (so far Jackson’s mother Katherine has custody according to his will), what will happen to his estate (including a mountain of debt), to the ultimate question of who or what killed the Thriller star.

If we have learned one thing about celebrity deaths (specifically, Anna Nicole Smith) it has been to wait for the autopsy results before drawing any definitive conclusion. That time seems to be approaching, with news reports suggesting Michael Jackson’s death has been ruled a homicide — though at this time the LAPD and DA’s office have refused to confirm this information.

At the center of the battle to determine how Jackson died is his personal doctor, Conrad Murray, who according to his own admission, administered what many have concluded was a lethal dose of strong sedatives, creating a toxic cocktail causing Michael to go into cardiac arrest. CNN reports:

The Los Angeles coroner has concluded preliminarily that singer Michael Jackson died of an overdose of propofol, a powerful sedative he was given to help him sleep, according to court documents released Monday.

Los Angeles coroner Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran reached that preliminary conclusion after reviewing toxicology results carried out on Jackson’s blood, according to a search warrant and affidavit unsealed in Houston, Texas.

The affidavit, used to outline probable cause for search warrants of the offices of doctors who are believed to have treated Jackson, disclosed many details of drugs given to Jackson in the weeks before his death.

Jackson family lawyer Londell McMillan said the report “reaffirms the very sad reality that there was a tragic and gross violation of duty and care for Michael Jackson.”

The publicist for Jackson’s family said the “family looks forward to the day that justice can be served.”

The irony of the Jackson family’s statement is not lost on me, because if justice were TRULY to be served, they would be turning the finger-pointing on themselves as well. It should come as news to NO ONE, Michael’s family has been sponging off of him for years, while turning a negligent eye towards their cash cow’s declining health. While it seemed most of the world was shocked by the death of Jackson, anyone with a keen eye could see the man was on death’s door, regardless of insider information.

According to the Washington Post, Dr. Murray’s actions prior to and just after Jackson’s death had a direct bearing on the 50-year old star’s death:

Conrad Murray, the Las Vegas cardiologist whom Jackson called his personal physician, told detectives that he had been treating Jackson for insomnia for about six weeks, and had been giving Jackson 50 milligrams of propofol every night using an intravenous drip, the report notes. The affidavit was unsealed in Houston, where Murray has an office that was raided by U.S. agents on July 22.

Murray said he feared that Jackson was forming an addiction to the drug, which the singer allegedly referred to as “milk,” and that he was trying to wean him off of it. So he lowered Jackson’s propofol dosage to 25 milligrams, mixing it with two other sedatives, lorazepam and midazolam, according to the report. On June 23, two days before the singer’s death, he reportedly gave Jackson lorazepam and midazolam, withholding the propofol.

On the day Jackson died, Murray tried to induce sleep at 1:30 a.m. with Valium; at 2 a.m. with lorazepam; and at 3 a.m. with midazolam, according to the affidavit. After Murray failed to put Jackson to sleep with additional doses over the next few hours, Jackson then demanded propofol. At 10:40 a.m., the report notes, Murray administered 25 milligrams of the drug and continued to monitor Jackson for 10 minutes, until Murray left for the restroom. Murray told investigators that he returned after no more than two minutes and noticed Jackson had stopped breathing.

What happened next is pivotal in building a homicide case against Murray. At question is why Murray waited so long to call for an ambulance (reportedly 40 minutes after finding Jackson unresponsive), why Murray didn’t use a heart monitor while administering such a strong sedative (required for use of the drug) and legally significant, was Murray responsible for obtaining the lethal drug, propofol (Diprivan). Tracing the source has proven difficult, despite multiple search warrants of Murray’s offices. Let’s not forget the lengthy paper trail of Jackson using several aliases to get strong prescription drugs for his personal use. Bottom line, Jackson had a severe drug problem and if Murray hadn’t given him the drugs he wanted, Michael was hell bent on finding a doctor who would.

Dr. Murray is without a doubt guilty of a dereliction of duty in the care of Jackson, and quite likely bears the ultimate responsibility for Jackson’s death, but should he carry that burden alone? Behind Murray is a long list of shady characters who CHOSE not to do what was best for the man whom they were all “enabling.” Doctors, family members, hangers on, music executives, promoters, and of course, Michael himself.

Murray may have administered the final deadly dose, but if we look at this case with an discerning eye, Michael was dead long ago.

[Editors note: Please let this be a cautionary tales to all celebrities - you are only as good as the people you surround yourself with. Hearing only what you want to hear is the beginning of the end. Trust.]

Source: D