Michael Jackson death a homicide says coroner

Michael Jackson’s death would still be ruled a homicide regardless of whether or not the singer administered the fatal dose testified the Coroner at the preliminary trial.

In what could amount to a damning blow to what appears to be the defense team’s strategy to blame the victim, the coroner said the substandard care provided by Dr. Conrad Murray led to MJ’s death. In questioning on the stand, Rogers said the simple fact that Murray gave Jackson the powerful anesthetic propofol without proper precautions constituted homicide.

Dr. Christopher Rogers, medical examiner who ruled Michael Jackson’s death a homicide, testified he would stand by the classification even if it turned out the pop star gave himself the fatal dose of anesthetic although he though MJ administering it was highly unlikely.

His statement was in response to Murray’s lawyer questioning him about the possibility the singer administered the anesthetic propofol when Dr. Conrad Murray wasn’t looking.

“Based on the quality of the medical care, I would still call this a homicide even if the doctor did not administer the propofol to Mr. Jackson,” said Rogers, chief of forensic medication at the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office.

He said Murray had endangered Jackson by using the drug in a home setting without proper monitoring, regardless of who gave the final dose.

Coroners have ruled Jackson’s death was a homicide due mainly to the use of propofol, and prosecutors claim Murray, who was caring for Jackson when he died, was negligent in administering the drug and in watching over his patient.

“Based on the quality of the medical care, I would still call this a homicide even if the doctor did not administer the propofol to Mr. Jackson,” Rogers said. “The fact that there was propofol there in the first place — in other words, this is not a usual setting to administer propofol — and if there was propofol there, it was there to be administered to Mr. Jackson and so the doctor should be prepared for adverse effects.”

“If there was propofol there, the doctor should have been prepared for the effects.”

Rogers said Jackson had a strong heart and was mostly healthy.

“The care was substandard,” Rogers said. “There were several actions that should have been taken.”

Rogers testified MJ was in “excellent” health for a middle-aged man and died because of “substandard” medical care. The pathologist said Murray violated treatment norms with his use of propofol.

The drug, he said, is not indicated for insomnia and requires constant patient monitoring, which Murray did not provide.

“The information we received indicates that the doctor left Mr. Jackson while he was anesthetized and this is something you would not do,” Roger said.

Despite testimony from a paramedic that the singer was so underweight as to resemble a hospice patient, Rogers said Jackson was “normal weight” at 5 feet 9 and 136 pounds.