Lawyers for Michael Jackson’s doctor negotiate terms of his surrender

Lawyers for Jackson’s doctor negotiate surrender

LOS ANGELES — A subplot has emerged over how Michael Jackson’s doctor will get to court.

Dr. Conrad Murray’s arraignment on a charge of involuntary manslaughter is set for Friday but prosecutors, defense lawyers and police have been haggling over whether he should be arrested or allowed to turn himself in.

A law enforcement official tells The Associated Press that officials from the Los Angeles Police Department, which spent the past seven months investigating Murray, were unhappy with the idea of him surrendering and wanted to arrest him.

The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity, says various factors weighed into the desire to arrest Murray, including the possibility he might flee before arraignment, just as O.J. Simpson did.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — With a criminal charge looming, Michael Jackson’s doctor is negotiating his surrender to Los Angeles authorities, his attorney said Thursday.

A statement from Ed Chernoff said he was negotiating with the district attorney’s office for Dr. Conrad Murray to turn himself in, but there has been no agreement on specifics.

“When the agreement is complete, we will report further,” Chernoff said.

Murray has maintained that nothing he gave Jackson should have killed him.

Murray’s arraignment already has been set for Friday afternoon, a person familiar with the planning told The Associated Press. The person declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the situation.

The possible charge was not disclosed. However, two law enforcement officials have told the AP prosecutors plan to charge Murray with involuntary manslaughter, alleging he gave Jackson a powerful anesthetic that led to his June 25 overdose death at a rented mansion in Los Angeles.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the case.

Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the district attorney, would not confirm or deny that Murray would appear Friday at the courthouse.

Murray, who has a practice in Houston, came to Los Angeles last weekend and has been strategizing with his defense team.

Police have been investigating Murray since Jackson’s death. The doctor told detectives he’d given the singer a powerful anesthetic and other sedatives to get the chronic insomniac star to sleep. Jackson, 50, died soon thereafter, and investigators have been gathering evidence to try to show Murray was negligent in administering the drugs.

Associated Press Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch in Los Angeles and Associated Press Writer Ken Ritter in Las Vegas contributed to this report.