Chernoff: Jackson death 'a mystery'
Updated on 29 June 2009
Edward Chernoff, the lawyer acting for Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's doctor, tells Channel 4 News that none of the drugs his client prescribed to the singer would alone have killed him.
Samira Ahmed interviewed Edward Chernoff, Michael Jackson's personal doctor, for Channel 4 News.
Mr Chernoff stated: “The autopsy report would have shown that his (Michael Jackson’s) stomach was empty. But whether or not my client knew that Michael Jackson was eating is not going to be shown by the autopsy report.”
“He ate very little and he drank very little. He was frequently dehydrated. But whether or not that contributed to his death, I can’t answer that.
“The doctor was there to take care of Michael Jackson. Then certainly if Michael Jackson was dehydrated he would have been there to treat him for that.
“The course of treatment for dehydration primarily is to drink water – and I’m sure he would have advised him to do that.”
Edward Chernoff continued: “On occasion in the last couple of months, three months, Dr Murray did prescribe medications to Michael Jackson for various ailments, various medical conditions. But none of those pills, none of those prescriptions alone, would have accounted for his death.
“So it’s a mystery what was in his stomach, and when we get toxicology all the mystery will be solved, hopefully.
“It’s a tragic loss for all of us that Michael Jackson died… and there’s a natural inclination to blame somebody for a tragic death when, in fact, sometimes a tragic death’s just a tragic death.
“I don’t blame the Jackson family for being concerned. They’ve lost a son, and that’s something that very few of us can say we understand. But I think when all the facts are laid out on the table… that Dr Murray will no longer be under suspicion by the family – or anybody else, for that matter.”
In response to Samira Ahmed's question about an alleged 50-minute delay between Michael Jackson's collapse and Conrad Murray calling an ambulance, Edward Chernoff replied: “I don’t think there’s a 50-minute delay… I know this, I know that Dr Murray worked on Michael Jackson for 25-30 minutes, administering CPR during that period of time.
"I know that there was some difficulty calling 911, which is the emergency line in Los Angeles because there was home phone lines in Michael Jackson’s house.
“But I don’t know about a 50-minute delay. I don’t believe that’s accurate.”
