Autopsy Doctor: Michael Jackson Did Not Cause His Own Death
The doctor who performed Michael Jackson‘s autopsy told jurors in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray yesterday that he doubted the singer caused his own death. Dr. Christopher Rogers, who had officially determined Jackson’s death a homicide in 2009, shot down the defense’s claim that the King of Pop had given himself the dose of the sedative propofol that resulted in his death. “The circumstances from my point of view do not support self-administration of propofol,” Rogers said.
According to Dr. Rogers, Jackson would not have had time to give himself the anesthetic and stop breathing in the two-minute window Dr. Murray told police he left the singer unattended. Rogers also noted that the amount of propofol found in Jackson’s blood was much higher than the relatively small infusion of 25 milligrams that Murray told police he gave the star.
Rogers told the jury that the lack of precise dosing equipment in Jackson’s bedroom made it easy for Murray to incorrectly estimate how much of the drug he was administering. He also shot down the practice of using propofol as a sleep aid. “The problem that Mr. Jackson was having was that he couldn’t sleep, and it’s not appropriate to administer propofol in that situation. The risk outweighs the benefit,” Rogers told the court.
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