Cops raid office of Michael Jackson’s doctor

LOS ANGELES - Police and federal agents Wednesday raided the Houston offices of Michael Jackson’s personal doctor Conrad Murray, in a search for medical records they believed would constitute evidence of manslaughter, the doctor’s lawyer said.

Murray was the personal physician who was with Michael Jackson when the entertainer died suddenly of cardiac arrest last month at age of 50. Attention focused on the doctor in the immediate aftermath of Jackson’s death when he dropped out of sight just as Jackson’s family and investigators were seeking more information on the pop legend’s last hours.

Though the results of a coroner’s report are yet to be released, attention is focused on the hospital anesthetic Propofol, a strictly controlled drug usually administered intravenously that can easily cause cardiac arrest if not properly administered. The results of a private autopsy carried out on behalf of the Jackson family have also not been revealed.

News reports said that up to a dozen agents of the Drug Enforcement Agency entered the Murray’s medical office, armed with a search warrant, looking for medical records.

“The search warrant authorised law enforcement to search for and seize items, including documents, they believed constituted evidence of the offence of manslaughter,” Ed Chernoff, Murray’s attorney, said in a statement posted on his law firm’s web site.

In an earlier statement, Chernoff said that Murray did not prescribe any drugs that may have caused the singer’s death but that the investigators were seeking Jackson’s medical records.

“The coroner wants to clear up the cause of death, we share that goal,” he said. “We don’t have access to the most important information in this case, the toxicology report. We’re still in the dark like everybody else.”

Chernoff said that Murray’s detailed description of Michael Jackson’s last days should not make him a target of criminal charges.

“Dr Murray was the last doctor standing when Michael Jackson died and it seems all the fury is directed toward him,” Chernoff said.

Police questioned Murray twice since Jackson’s death and seized his car from the rented mansion where Jackson died, but clarified that he is not a suspect.

The raid came as Sony Pictures paid some $60 million for footage shot during Jackson’s final rehearsals for his comeback concert engagement in London, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film will be released Oct 30 and will include several videos that were shot and meant to be shown during the concerts, including an alternative version of Jackson’s most famous video, “Thriller”.

“High School Musical” director Kenny Ortega, who shot the rehearsal footage, is expected to become the director of the film, which could be released before year’s end.