Jackson Doc Facing Involuntary Manslaughter, According To Report

The Associated Press is reporting that the doctor who was with Michael Jackson when he apparently went into cardiac arrest shortly before his June death will be charged with involuntary manslaughter by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office.

Conrad Murray, who reportedly admits to having injected Jackson with the drug propofol at his Holmby Hills home the day the King of Pop died, traveled to Los Angeles from his home base of Houston over the weekend: His attorney has repeatedly stated that Murray is not hiding and will make himself available if Los Angeles police want to arrest him.

AP states that choosing to charge Murray with involuntary manslaughter rather than seeking a grand jury indictment would allow details of the case to be viewed by the public soon; otherwise such findings might remain under a legal seal for months or even years.

Experts are split on what the move means: It could signal that the D.A.'s office thinks it has a case so strong that it doesn't need a notoriously indictment-happy grand jury to go after Murray. Or it could mean that it doesn't have the goods for a grand jury homicide allegation, and that an audience before a Superior Court judge with a less-serious manslaughter charge is a way of saving face. In either case, Murray maintains his innocence.

In October the Los Angeles County coroner's office ruled Jackson's death was a homicide and it cited propofol, a drug that is supposed to be administered only in a medical setting, as a factor.