Jackson’s family seeks second autopsy

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Michael Jackson’s family  gathered at his parents’ suburban Los Angeles home yesterday  to make funeral arrangements for the troubled King of Pop amid  reports that they are seeking a second, independent autopsy.

Jackson’s body was returned to his family on Friday night  after an examination by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office  failed to determine what killed the 50-year-old entertainer,  pending toxicology tests that were expected to take four to six  weeks.

Meanwhile a lawyer for Dr Conrad Murray, who was at  Jackson’s rented mansion in the Holmby Hills neighbourhood of  Los Angeles when he collapsed, said the physician had agreed to  answer questions from police detectives.

“Dr Murray intends to fully cooperate with investigators  and law enforcement as they attempt to piece together what  happened,” attorney Bill Stradley told Reuters in an  interview.

“Contrary to what has been out there, Dr Murray has been  cooperating with authorities from the outset and will continue  to do so,” Stradley said. “The impression that he has been  hiding from authorities, that’s not correct.”

Murray was desperately trying to revive Jackson when  paramedics arrived and he rode with the singer in an ambulance  to the hospital where the pop star was pronounced dead.

Police have said they wanted to further question Murray, a  Houston-based cardiologist, about the circumstances of  Jackson’s death but had not been able to arrange an interview.

Murray’s silver Mercedes was towed from the home where  Jackson died so that detectives could search it for evidence  and medication.
The celebrity website TMZ.com reported that a second  autopsy was underway at an undisclosed location in Los Angeles  yesterday afternoon on the orders of the Jackson family.

The Rev Jesse Jackson, who has been acting as a spokesman  for the singer’s parents, told CNN that the family would  “without a doubt” order an independent examination of the  remains.

“This thing has gone from inquiry to investigation,” Jesse  Jackson told CNN. “Right now there is no peace. We don’t know  what happened and we need to know. Michael was not sick before  [Wednesday] night. He was not frail.”

Speculation has centred on Jackson’s use of prescription  drugs and reports that he was injected with the narcotic  painkiller Demerol shortly before he went into cardiac arrest.

Jesse Jackson told ABC News that they also had questions  for Murray.
“When did the doctor come? What did he do? Did he inject  him? If so, with what?” he said in an interview with the  network.
“Was he on the scene twice? Before and then reaction to?  Did he use Demerol? It’s a very powerful drug. Was he injected  once? Was he injected twice?”

TMZ reported that police were also interested in speaking  with another Jackson adviser, Tohme Tohme, about the  superstar’s use of prescription medication.