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Jackson death: Doctor 'admits to drug drip'

A LAW enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation into Michael Jackson's death says the singer's doctor told investigators he administered the powerful anesthetic that authorities believe killed the pop star.

The official, who requested anonymity because the inquiry is ongoing, told The Associated Press yesterday that Dr Conrad Murray said he gave Jackson propofol the day he died.

Murray said he had administered the drug several times previously to help Jackson sleep, the official said.

The official said police found propofol and various sedatives in a walk-in closet in Jackson's room. Propofol is only supposed to be administered in medical settings.

Murray's lawyer, Edward Chernoff, has said the doctor didn't prescribe or administer anything that should have killed Jackson.

Yesterday Federal authorities searched Murray's Las Vegas home and arrived at his medical office as part of a manslaughter investigation into the singer's death.

Several Drug Enforcement Administration agents entered Murray's sprawling home in a gated community, accompanied by uniformed Las Vegas police.

A DEA agent and Las Vegas police also entered Murray's medical offices in Las Vegas, Global Cardiovascular Associates.

The official said Jackson regularly received propofol and relied on it "like an alarm clock."

A doctor would administer it when Jackson went to sleep, then stop the IV drip when the singer wanted to wake up.

On June 25, the day Jackson died, Murray gave him the drug through an IV some time after midnight, the official said.

In a detailed statement posted online late on Monday, Chernoff said that "things tend to shake out when all the facts are made known, and I'm sure that will happen here as well."

Toxicology reports were still pending, but investigators were working under the theory that propofol caused Jackson's heart to stop, the official said.

Jackson is thought to have been using the drug for about two years, and investigators were trying to determine how many other doctors administered it, the official said.

Using propofol to sleep exceeds its intended purpose, according to experts.

The drug can depress breathing and lower heart rates and blood pressure.

Murray became Jackson's personal physician in May and was to accompany him to London for a series of concerts starting in July.




 

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