Michael Jackson's doctor pleads not guilty

Monday, February 8, 07:19 PM LOS ANGELES (AP) - Michael Jackson's doctor pleaded guilty Monday of negligent homicide charge in death of pop music star after a brief audience with all the elements of a drama celebrity. Murray appeared in court wearing a gray suit as Joe Jackson, father of the singer, his mother Katherine, and siblings LaToya, Jermaine, Tito, Jackie and Randy sat behind prosecutors. Neither Murray nor Jackson showed much emotion when he entered his plea of innocence through his lawyer Ed Chernoff. "We need justice," said Joe Jackson out of court, before retiring with his family in a caravan of trucks Cadillac. Hours before several people shouted " Murderer! " Murray while walking in front of a crowd of hundreds of reporters and Jackson fans heading to court by the Los Angeles International Airport. Murray, 56, a Houston cardiologist who was with Jackson when he died on June 25, submitted his statement just hours after he was indicted. Keith L. Schwartz, Judge of the Superior Court established a bond of $ 75,000, three times the amount that most people face after being charged with manslaughter. Prosecutors wanted to charge a deposit of $ 300,000 for Murray, who was into custody but was not handcuffed in public. Was expected to be released later in the day. The judge told Murray he can travel around the country, but must surrender his passport to the authorities and can not leave the United States. If convicted he could face up to four years in prison. Jackson, 50, Murray hired to be his personal physician at a time when preparing for a grueling series of concerts. The authorities say the singer died in Los Angeles Murray then administered the powerful anesthetic propofol and two other sedatives to help the chronic insomniac to sleep. Murray is charged with a felony charge only a five-page order which states that "unlawfully and without malice killed Michael Joseph Jackson "to act" without the necessary caution and prudence. "The order does not include details about Jackson's death, but authorities have said the singer died after Murray gave him the anesthesia and other medications. The doctor said he did nothing that could have led to the death of Jackson. "We will pay the bail, pleaded not guilty and we will fight fiercely," said Chernoff made before the charge. Known as "milk of amnesia", propofol only should be administered by a professional anesthesiologist and a medical center because it depresses breathing and heartbeat mient ras lowers blood pressure. The American Society of Anesthesiologists in 2004 warned that doctors who use propofol should have education and training to manage complications of anesthesia, be physically present during sedation and monitor patients "without interruption" if any problems arise. A rescue team "should be available immediately," he said. Researchers from Los Angeles were methodical in building the case against Murray not to repeat the missteps that plagued the celebrated cases as OJ Simpson and actor Robert Blake, acquitted after two be charged with murder. After reviewing the results of toxicology tests, the coroner ruled that Jackson's death was a homicide caused by acute poisoning with propofol and other sedatives as a contributing factor. To prove that the doctor was negligent in Jackson's care, detectives spoke to more than 10 medical experts to see if their behavior fell outside the reasonable limits of medicine. According to court documents, Murray told police that Jackson gave him just before the propofol 11 am and then left the room to go to the bathroom. There are some disagreements about what happened next. According to court documents, Murray told police that after returning from the bathroom he saw that Jackson was not breathing and began trying to revive him. But no one called an ambulance until 12:21 pm and Murray spent much of that time making phone calls on his cellphone, police said. It misunderstands the nature of the calls, which lasted 47 minutes in total. Murray's lawyer has said that investigators were confused about what Murray said, and the doctor found his patient unconscious around noon. The police have interrogated many witnesses, including people who attended the final days of Jackson's life, people who worked with him in preparations for his failed concert series "This Is It" and members of his personal staff as his assistant and security guard staff. At the time of his death, Jackson was in relatively good health and had no illegal drugs in his body, according to the autopsy report obtained by The Associated Press. Jackson had a strong heart and kidneys and most of its major organs were functioning normally, according to the autopsy. Legal experts said the findings of the autopsy took the case to trial and could prevent the possible defense that he had a concealed Jackson health problem that increased the risk of death from the drugs taken voluntarily. ___ The Associated Press correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report. Average (Not Rated)