Family accuses Michael Jackson's doctor of cover-up

Ref : http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25704342-5012980,00.html

Carly Crawford and Nekesa Mumbi Moody
June 29, 2009 12:00am
THE family of Michael Jackson yesterday ordered a second autopsy on the singer's body before accusing his personal doctor of a cover-up.The extraordinary move came as more allegations emerged of Jackson's long-term addiction to painkillers, including from his children's nanny.Under pressure from the superstar's relatives, Dr Conrad Murray yesterday submitted to a police interview.
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The cardiologist, who was with the singer when he collapsed on Friday and rode with him to hospital, went to ground after police impounded his car to collect evidence relating to Jackson's medication and prescriptions.The doctor vanished for several hours on Saturday, sparking fears he had fled.Frustrated by the confusion over Jackson's death, the family went on the attack."The doctor's bizarre behaviour here is creating all these suspicions," said Jackson family minister, the Reverend Jesse Jackson."There are lingering questions (like) how long had he stopped breathing, how long had he been unconscious?"They are suspicious of this doctor and they have real reason to be because any other doctor would say 'here's what happened in the last hour of his life and I was there. I gave him some medicine'."Jackson died at his rented Bel Air home after suffering a cardiac arrest believed to be linked to his drug addiction.
Pictures: King of Pop Michael Jackson
A finding from the official autopsy is up to six weeks away, pending toxicology test results.Desperate for answers, Jackson's relatives yesterday ordered their own autopsy, which was carried out by a private pathologist in LA. The results were not released.Dr Murray had been hired by concert promoters AEG to guard the singer's health ahead of his world comeback tour, which was to have started in London next month.Dr Murray's lawyer said his client would "fully co-operate". "The impression that he has been hiding from authorities, that's not correct," lawyer Bill Stradley said.Spiritual healer and friend Deepak Chopra yesterday said Jackson had been doctor-shopping for drugs."I said, 'What the heck do you want a narcotic prescription for?'," Chopra said. "And it suddenly dawned on me that he was probably taking these and that he had probably a number of doctors who were giving him these prescriptions, so I confronted him with that."Many of Jackson's relatives have gathered at Jackson's compound, where his three children are being cared for. Prince Michael, 12, Paris Katherine Michael, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7, are set to be the subject of a three-way custody tussle, with their grandmother saying she will fight to keep them.Katherine Jackson yesterday insisted Michael wanted her to have the children and hit out at their natural mother. At the same time their nanny Grace Rwaramba, 42, arrived in LA from London, indicating she would seek custody.She claimed she had worked hard for years to shield the children from Jackson's drug abuse."I had to pump his stomach many times. He always mixed so much of it," Ms Rwaramba said."There was one period that it was so bad that I didn't let the children see him. "He always ate too little and mixed too much."Ms Rwaramba had worked with Jackson for more than a decade.The family is said to believe Mrs Jackson is the best equipped to help the children understand their father.Jackson's former wife Debbie Rowe, 50, has declared she wants the three kids, the eldest two of whom are biologically hers.Although she has had no regular contact with the children, she has told friends she would fight "tooth and nail" to keep them.But yesterday Mrs Jackson, 79, vowed to take the battle to court.Mrs Jackson's lawyer Debra Opri said Rowe had no right to the children. "I believe she surrendered her custodial rights to the children, but I'm sure that this will eventually be heard in court or arbitration," Ms Opri said yesterday.Former nurse Ms Rowe signed away custody in exchange for a $5.2 million payoff when they divorced 10 years ago.