Saturday, July 4, 2009

Jackson's Doctor Had Difficulty Summoning Help


Dr. Conrad Murray's Lawyer Says Phones in Jackson's Home Weren't Working for 'Privacy Reasons'

As scrutiny of the doctor who was with Michael Jackson when the pop star was stricken grows, a lawyer for Dr. Conrad Murray told ABC's "Good Morning America" that it took Murray a while to find anyone in Jackson's rented mansion to help him call 911 after he failed to revive the superstar.

Dr. Conrad Murray's attorney says "there was no Demerol administered" to M.J.

More Photos"We can't tell you exactly when 911 was called," attorney Edward Chernoff told "Good Morning America" today.

Chernoff said that once Murray realized that CPR was not bringing Jackson back, Murray, he said, tried to dial 911 on his cell phone but did not have the exact address of Jackson's home. And with none of the phones in the home working "for privacy reasons," Murray ran around the house till he found Jackson's chef, who alerted security.

It was the security person, Chernoff said, who eventually dialed 911. CPR, he said, was done for 25 to 30 minutes before emergency officials arrived.

Chernoff said over the weekend that Murray found Jackson unconscious in his bedroom, detected a weak pulse in his femoral artery, and began CPR.

"He just happened to find him in his bed, and he wasn't breathing," the lawyer said. "Mr. Jackson was still warm and had a pulse."

A senior law enforcement official told ABC News that Jackson was heavily addicted to OxyContin and Demerol, and received both in daily doses. Officials said Jackson received an injection of Demerol an hour before a 911 call was placed after he lost consciousness.

But Chernoff reiterated his statements today that the personal physician did not administer Demerol to Jackson, nor see him take it.

"I can't go into any specifics that Michael Jackson might have taken the night before," Chernoff said. "Whatever was taken by Michael Jackson at any time wouldn't have caused his death."

Yet the family, who seems to be growing more suspicious of Murray as time passes, is waiting for results of its own independent autopsy.

"I have a lot of concerns," Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, told CNN. "I don't like what happened."

As Murray's qualifications have come into question, so have those of his associates. Murray has referred to himself as a cardiologist, but he is not board certified in cardiology.

And his partner in his Houston office has had his license revoked for improperly dispensing prescription drugs. Their clinic was shut down in 2002 for being what law enforcement officials call a "pill mill."

Chernoff said he is unsure where the discussion about Jackson and Demerol came from, but "I think that once toxicology comes back this rumor about Demerol is going to be squashed."


Murray and Chernoff met with investigators for three hours Saturday. Law enforcement authorities said Murray is not considered a suspect but rather a witness in Jackson's death.

Forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht told "Good Morning America" today that Jackson's history of prescription drug use can be confirmed by analyizing just a few strands of the performer's hair. Measured in increments of a centimeter at a time, a pattern of prescription drug use can be traced back in time, depending on the length of the hair.

As for Murray's lawyer's assertion that Murray did not administer Demerol, Wecht said, "the question is whether Michael Jackson obtained those drugs from someone else -- another physician or someone we refer to as an enabler."

Jackson's manager, Frank DiLeo, said he was with the nanny and a psychologist when he told the singer's three children that their father had died. But little needed to be said. DiLeo said they knew just by looking at his face.

"They said, 'Say it's not true.' I said, 'I'm sorry,'" DiLeo told "GMA" today. "We all cried, and they came over and we hugged and they all hugged each other."

DiLeo said he also told Katherine Jackson of her son's death.

"She was emotional, grabbed me," he said. "We just cried together."

DiLeo said he was able to view Jackson's body in the hospital. He said he kissed Jackson and told him that he loved him.

DiLeo was with Jackson during his final rehearsal for his upcoming 50-concert series.

"He had stamina," he said. "He was in shape."

DiLeo denied rumors that Jackson had been pushed beyond his capacity.

"He goes at his own pace," he said, "and he knows when he has to step it up and when he doesn't."

As the two walked together at the end of rehearsal, DiLeo said Jackson was optimistic and excited about the tour and had promised to call him later to go over a few things for the show.

"He said, 'Frank, we're going to do this,'" DiLeo said.

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