On the heels of the L.A. County Coroner’s announcement on Friday that Michael Jackson’s death is being considered a homicide, California Attorney General Jerry Brown is getting into the case.
Brown announced that he is launching his own independent investigation of several doctors whose names have been involved in the investigation. Though no doctors were identified in Brown’s statement, the most likely candidates are Jackson’s personal doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, and his dermatologist, Arnold Klein.
"Responding to a request from the LAPD, agents from my office will investigate several physicians whose names have come up in the course of the Michael Jackson death inquiry," Brown said. "This investigation is at its earliest stages, and no conclusions can be drawn at this point."
Police met with representatives from the attorney general's Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration on Aug. 20 to discuss information found during the investigation, and bureau agents will now further review pertinent documents and records.
The coroner’s report issued Friday said that propofol and Lorazepam -- also known as ativan -- were the primary drugs that caused the pop singer's death on June 25.
Now that the coroner has determined Michael Jackson's death was a homicide, it's up to the district attorney's office to determine what charges, if any, should be filed.
Laurie L. Levenson, a criminal law professor at Loyola Law School, said homicide has become a "scary word" because of nonstop cable news reporting. "It just means that Jackson died at the hands of another," she said, adding that the ruling does not mean his death was necessarily intentional or accidental.
"It's likely that they're working towards a criminal charge, but at this stage it would be absolutely premature to say based on a coroner's report," Levenson said.
"The coroner’s office has had a long time to go everything, and it’s come to the conclusion of homicide. There's got to be a reason for them to think that," said Steve Cron, a criminal defense attorney and law professor at Pepperdine University who has represented Paula Poundstone and the Stone Temple Pilot's Scott Weiland.
"We're all assuming it's Conrad Murray, but it could be some other person -- or more than one person -- whose name hasn't surfaced."
If the D.A.'s office does agree with the coroner's ruling that Jackson died at the hands of another, it must then decide if there is enough evidence to prosecute whoever is responsible for his death.
To make this determination, the D.A.'s office will be looking at "every bit of evidence it’s seized since he died," including things from Murray's medical office, items from Jackson's home and statements from various witnesses, Cron said.
If Murray were to stand accused, that evidence would be integral in determining what the doctor was guilty of. He could be charged with criminal negligence for
involuntary manslaughter, a crime which typically carries around three years in prison. However, if he's charged with gross recklessness, he could face life behind bars.
"It's the difference between driving 50 in a 35 mile-per-hour speed zone when it's raining -- you didn't really think you were gonna kill anybody -- as opposed to driving your car up on the sidewalk of the Third Street Promenade at 7 o'clock on Saturday.
