Disc 3
In the mysterious death of Michael Jackson, the spotlight was on three conspiracy theories. Did Michael Jackson fake his death? The first conspiracy theory was that singer/songwriter Michael Jackson faked his own death because of the amount of debt he was in. Was he murdered by Conrad Murray intentionally through overdose because he owed him money or was his death self-inflicted? A review of the evidence ultimately sent a man to prison and revealed surprising details not only about MJ's death but about his life.
The first theory suggests that Michael faked his own death due to the amount of debt he was in. "He was on the edge," banker David Dunn testified in U.S. Tax Court in Los Angeles. "He was desperately trying to figure out what he could do to address his financial crisis” (Dillon 1). Some might point out here that coming from a banker, Jackson had room for worry. In this same article, the banker was said to have stated that “Jackson remained in a "very precarious situation" in early 2008 with more than $300 million in debt, out-of-control spending habits and his lavish Neverland Ranch near foreclosure” (1). The accusation of debt could be verified amongst family, friends and even staff. During an interview on Good Morning America, one of Michael’s former bodyguards that “handled his personal emails and phone calls”, said, “The paperwork, showed millions of dollars in debts, much of it owed to law firms, and millions more being paid out. I'm seeing all these zeroes and we can't get a $5,000 check” (Banfield and Ellis 1). In an autopsy report conducted by Christopher Rogers, it was concluded that “a propofol overdose killed Jackson (Duke 1). Therefore, this theory isn’t plausible.
The second conspiracy insinuates that Michael was murdered by Conrad Murray through intentional overdosing over money. Dr. Conrad was hired by MJ after he treated one of his children back in 2006. A detective by the name of Orlando Martinez testified that he, “found that Murray's Las Vegas home was in foreclosure proceedings, and Murray owed a backlog of unpaid child support and other unpaid debts. He said he believed the doctor would do anything to get paid the $150,000, he was promised by AEG to treat the tormented pop star” (Battersby 1). By all accounts, one would assume Conrad Murray was in dire need of finances and $150,000 a month wouldn’t have even put a dent in his affairs. It didn’t help that AEG was said to not have had a signed contract with Murray therefore he wasn’t being paid. AEG Live’s VP/controller of event operations testified that they “had budgeted an additional $150,000 a month for Murray’s costs – but he was never paid anything as Jackson did not officially sign the legal documents” (Daniels et al.). Los Angeles Coroner’s toxicologist Dan Anderson testified that, “the level of propofol found in Jackson’s body was consistent with major surgery anesthesia” (Duke 1). Therefore, proving the conspiracy that Conrad did in fact kill Michael Jackson.
The last conspiracy theory alluded to Michael Jackson self-inflicting his death. In the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray many experts were called to testify. One that could shed light on this theory was Dr. Paul White; a noted anesthesiologist and Propofol expert. He testified that, “the most plausible explanation for the drug levels detected in Mr. Jackson’s system after his death is that he swallowed pills and injected himself with propofol when his doctor was out of the room” (Richey 1). Yet, another expert, Dr. Steven Shafer testified that “the “only scenario” to explain Michael Jackson’s death was that he overdosed on propofol infused through an IV drip set up by Dr. Murray” (Duke Murray defense cross-examines propofol expert6) In this same article from the case, it states that Shafer was asked would his opinion change “if he knew Jackson turned the drip on? “No, if Michael Jackson had reached up, seen the roller clamp and opened it himself, this is a foreseeable consequence of setting up an essentially dangerous way of giving drugs. It doesn’t change things at all. It would still be considered abandonment” (1). Ultimately, this disproves the theory that Michael self-inflicted his own death.
The cause of Michael Jackson’s death was solved, and Dr. Conrad Murray was sentenced to prison. He served four years and was charged with involuntary manslaughter but was released from the Los Angeles Men’s Central Jail after only two years. Per the ABC News, his lawyer stated that Conrad, “was not being released for good behavior but for credit for time served. Murray was given an additional day of credit for every day he served” (Mohney 1).