Michael Jackson's Doc: Who Told Police I Left the Room?

Dr. Conrad Murray's attorney says police did not obtain certain pieces of their time line from his client

By Natalie Finn Aug 25, 2009 3:05 AMTags
Dr. Conrad Robert Murray, Michael JacksonAP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Pool Photographer

Dr. Conrad Murray isn't saying the police are right. But he's not saying they're wrong, either.

In response to an affidavit unsealed Monday that attributes Michael Jackson's death to the anesthetic propofol, the cardiologist's attorney is looking to set the record straight on what his client did and did not tell authorities when they searched his Houston office and public storage site last month.

"Much of what was in the search warrant affidavit is factual," attorney Edward Chernoff said in a statement posted on his firm's website.

"However, unfortunately, much is police theory. Most egregiously, the timeline reported by law enforcement was not obtained through interviews with Dr. Murray, as was implied by the affidavit."

Which means...what, exactly?

"Dr. Murray simply never told investigators that he found Michael Jackson at 11:00 a.m. not breathing," Chernoff wrote. "He also never said that he waited a mere ten minutes before leaving to make several phone calls. In fact, Dr. Murray never said that he left Michael Jackson's room to make phone calls at all."

Ah. But he doesn't say that Murray did not leave the room to make three phone calls while Jackson was virtually unconscious, either.

Not disputed by Chernoff are Murray's reported statements to police that he administered Valium, lorazepam, midazolam and, ultimately, the more potent propofol to Jackson throughout morning of June 25, just hours before the King of Pop suffered cardiac arrest.

The report also quotes a Los Angeles County Coroner's official as saying that a lethal amount of propofol was found in Jacksons' system after he died, as E! News previously reported.

Meanwhile, in response to a law-enforcement-sourced report that the coroner's office has ruled Jackson's death a homicide, Chernoff says they will not be commenting on the "'anonymous law enforcement source."

"Most of the reports by 'anonymous' sources have been proven wrong. We will be happy to address the Coroner's report when it is officially released."

________

Here's everything we have on Jackson.