Did Jackson Doc Dose-and-Run?

Cops expand investigation as sources say Conrad Murray left King of Pop's side after administering fatal injection of propofol

Dr. Conrad Murray's bedside manner can be best summed up in one word: nonexistent. At least, that's what it appears to have been the morning Michael Jackson died.

Multiple sources close to the manslaughter investigation into the King of Pop's death have come forward, telling the Los Angeles Times that Murray essentially dosed-and-ran, leaving the star completely alone after administering the fatal (but legally acquired!) injection of propofol.

Murray reportedly left the singer's side in order to make phone calls and, when he returned, discovered that Jackson was no longer breathing. It's unclear how long the doctor was out of the room, though per the Times, Murray told detectives that he frequently left Jackson alone and that it had never once proven a problem.

That is, if you don't count that whole death thing.

As a result, investigators are now trying to determine whether to slap negligence onto their existing manslaughter investigation, not only for leaving Jackson alone but for administering propofol outside of a hospital setting.

(Other prescription drugs were found in Jackson's system at the time of his death, potentially making it more difficult to find Murray definitively guilty of manslaughter. If cops are looking to pin the death on someone, negligence could be the equivalent of getting Al Capone on tax evasion.)

A law enforcement source told the Times that Jackson used propofol to treat insomnia for nearly a decade—not just two years, as previously reported—though Murray himself only came on as the singer's doctor earlier this year. He told police he administered the drug in the early hours of June 25, after Jackson returned home from a concert rehearsal and was unable to sleep.

Murray's lawyer, Ed Chernoff, verified at least part of the sources' claims, telling the Times that his client did in fact chat with family members and employees in his medical offices prior to discovering Jackson's lifeless body.

As it is, while he's been netting all the headlines, Murray is one of five doctors the Los Angeles Police Department is investigating in connection to Jackson's death. He is, however, the only one who has been publicly identified as a suspect.