The Los Angeles County coroner has ruled Michael Jackson’s death a homicide, finding that he was poisoned by an overdose of surgical anaesthetic propofol.
Michael Jackson’s death was homicide, primarily caused by the powerful anaesthetic Propofol, the Los Angeles coroner has confirmed. The Michael Jackson Thriller album is the best-selling of all time.
The singer suffered a cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home in June, aged 50.
Propofol and the sedative Lorazepam were the “primary drugs responsible for Mr Jackson’s death”, but four further drugs were also found, the report said.
The coroner’s verdict increases the chances of criminal charges being brought against Jackson’s doctors.
Police have interviewed his personal physician Dr Conrad Murray but he has not been named as a suspect. He has strenuously denied any wrongdoing.
“The cause of death was established as acute Propofol intoxication,” a statement from the coroner said. Propofol is normally administered to patients having surgery in hospital.
“The manner of death has been ruled: Homicide,” it adds. In the US, homicide refers to the killing of one person by another and includes manslaughter and murder.
A cocktail of drugs – also including sedatives Midazolam and Diazepam, the painkiller Lidocaine and the stimulant Ephedrine – were detected in his body.
The full toxicology report remains sealed, at the request of the LA Police Department (LAPD) and the city’s district attorney.
California’s attorney general will now open an independent investigation into several doctors whose names have come up in connection with Jackson’s death.
