Jackson’s doctor denies giving potent painkillers before death

LONDON - Michael Jackson’s personal doctor has denied that he gave a shot of potent painkiller Demerol before the star collapsed in his home.

Dr. Conrad Murray was quizzed for three hours by the Los Angeles Police Department on June 27.

Murray is also believed to have plunged a syringe into Jackson’s heart in his failed attempts to save him.

But, according to his lawyer Edward Chernoff, Murray has told investigators that, contrary to reports, he did not give the King of Pop the powerful painkillers in the hours before his death on June 25.

“There was no Demerol. No OxyContin,” Sky News quoted Chernoff as having told the LA Times.

Homicide detectives probing into the death insist that it is not a criminal investigation, and that they interviewed Murray to know what happened in the finals moments of Jackson’s life.

Spokeswoman Miranda Sevcik said in a statement: “Investigators say the doctor is in no way a suspect and remains a witness to this tragedy.”

She added: “The impression that he has been hiding from authorities, that’s not correct.”

The coroner’s examination recently ruled out foul play, though the exact cause of the death has yet to be determined.

A spokesman confirmed Jackson was on prescription medicine, but refused to say whether that might have led to the singer’s demise.

The Jackson family reportedly carried out their own private second autopsy to gather evidence for a legal battle if no one is charged over the tragedy. (ANI)