Michael Jackson's doctor pleads not guilty

Craig McMurtrie, Washington and staff

Last Updated: Tue, 9 Feb 2010 10:58:00 +1100

Michael Jackson's former doctor Conrad Murray has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter over the singer's death last year.

Los Angeles prosecutors have charged Michael Jackson's personal doctor with involuntary manslaughter over the singer's death last year.

Conrad Murray has been a focus of investigations for months, since the coroner's office ruled that Jackson's death in Los Angeles on June 25 was a homicide by drug overdose.

The investigation into the singer's death has involved state police and federal agents and lengthy negotiations between prosecutors and defence lawyers over a surrender deal for 56-year-old Murray.

The criminal charge alleges the doctor "did unlawfully and without malice kill Jackson", describing it as an "unlawful act, not amounting to a felony."

Speaking outside the courthouse, Michael Jackson's brother Jermaine expressed the Jackson family's dissatisfaction, saying the charge was "not enough".

Murray was with Jackson when he died and has admitted giving the 50-year-old singer a dose of the powerful anaesthetic propofol to help him sleep.

A cocktail of other painkillers, sedatives and a stimulant were also found in his body.

Murray, a cardiologist, has repeatedly insisted he did nothing wrong and has told investigators he was not the first doctor to give Jackson propofol, according to court records.

Murray was hired in May 2009 to care for Jackson while the entertainer prepared for a series of comeback concerts in London aimed at reviving a career sidelined by his 2005 trial and acquittal on charges of molesting a 13 year-old boy.

Jackson's sudden death prompted a worldwide outpouring of grief for the singer, who started his career as a child and whose 1982 album Thriller remains the world's best-selling album.

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