Media gather for expected surrender of Michael Jackson’s doctor in death of singer

Media gather for likely surrender of Conrad Murray

LOS ANGELES — More than a dozen television news vans and satellite trucks are lining a courthouse parking lot, in anticipation of the surrender of Michael Jackson’s doctor.

News crews began setting up operations at dawn Monday at the Los Angeles International Airport Courthouse, placing cameras along the entire entrance.

Meanwhile, Dr. Conrad Murray’s lawyer posted a brief statement on his Web site, saying the physician planned to surrender to authorities at the courthouse at 1:30 p.m. PST.

Murray’s lawyers have said they expect the doctor to be charged with a single count of involuntary manslaughter for administering a powerful anesthetic to Jackson before he died.

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

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dr. Conrad Murray, who has been trying to surrender to authorities for a week, will likely get his chance with prosecutors saying they will file a charge Monday in the death of Michael Jackson.

A district attorney’s spokeswoman did not name the doctor nor say what the charge will be but Murray’s lawyers have said they expect a single charge of involuntary manslaughter against the man who administered an anesthetic to the singer before he died.

As the last person to see Jackson alive, Murray has been the focal point of a police investigation since Jackson died last June 25 at age 50. Murray acknowledged that he administered the hospital anesthetic propofol and other sedatives as Jackson, a chronic insomniac, struggled to sleep.

Murray had been hired as the performer’s personal physician as he prepared for a monumental comeback concert in London. The doctor was to have traveled with Jackson and had closed down his cardiology practices in Houston and Las Vegas to devote himself to Jackson full time.

The death of the pop superstar left the doctor’s life and medical practice in limbo. There was talk of a criminal case even before a coroner’s report found that Jackson’s death was a homicide and pinpointed propofol and other drugs as the cause.

On Friday, after a week of on-again, off-again reports that Murray would be charged, district attorney’s spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said the office was delaying any action until Monday amid reports that police wanted to arrest and handcuff the doctor but his attorneys were negotiating to avoid that.

The drama of his surrender and subsequent arraignment was to be played out in front of news cameras, and Murray’s legal team wanted to avoid the spectacle of having the doctor seen in handcuffs by a large audience — including potential jurors for his trial.

One group that wants to see him in handcuffs is a contingent of Michael Jackson fans who launched a telephone campaign to the Los Angeles Police Department demanding as much. They threatened to hold a protest at the airport-area courthouse if Murray was allowed to surrender on his own.

The doctor maintains nothing he gave Jackson should have killed him. A trial would be expected to involve expert medical testimony on the use of propofol and whether there was gross negligence involved in its use at a private home. It is normally administered in hospital settings.

Murray’s lead defense lawyer, Ed Chernoff, has said the doctor is prepared for the legal battle ahead.

“We’ll make bail, we’ll plead not guilty and we’ll fight like hell,” said Chernoff.